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Kelowna company to build new Kaslo fire hall

The Regional District of Central Kootenay has awarded Encan Construction the phase one contract for Kaslo's new fire hall.
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The current Kaslo fire hall is attached to the village office. Its replacement will be built near the arena.

The Regional District of Central Kootenay has awarded a Kelowna company the phase one contract for Kaslo's new fire hall. Encan Construction was the lowest of four bidders at $588,000.

The other three firms that submitted tenders were BPR Construction of Kelowna ($597,000), DJM Contracting of Rossland ($643,000) and Hamill Creek Timber Homes of Meadow Creek ($775,000).

Fairbank Architects reviewed the bids and recommended going with Encan. The total price tag comes to about $605,000 with the addition of $16,000 for radiant heating for an apparatus room.

Encan's website lists some of its other projects as the Selkirk College flight training centre, Sicamous civic centre, and Oyster River fire hall.

In May, Kaslo residents approved taking out a $1.6 million loan to build a new hall and convert their fire department into a regional district service by a vote of 456 to 242. That included $400,000 to pay off debt from equipment purchases. But regional fire chief Terry Swan suggested the final cost could be lower depending on volunteer labour and community sponsorships.

The present Kaslo fire hall, built in the 1970s, is attached to the village office. It has no washroom and doesn't meet current building standards.

The new hall will be built next to the arena and is expected to have enough room to accommodate all emergency responders, including ambulance and search and rescue.

This story will appear in the West Kootenay Advertiser on October 24.