The City of Fernie is considering a complete overhaul of the public works yard at an estimated cost of roughly $5 million.
Located on Railway Ave, the yard provides a home base for the City’s Operations team and includes equipment and material storage, office space, change/locker rooms, mechanic and carpenter shops, and vehicle and equipment fueling facilities.
However, many of the aging buildings are past their serviceable life. The oldest is the carpenter’s shop, which dates back to the 1940s, while the largest – the Quonset – has been declared unsafe for occupancy.
In 2013, consultants hired by the City found it would cost roughly $1 million to maintain the current buildings until 2023 or just under $5 million to replace them.
City staff believe a complete overhaul is the best way forward to save on future design and construction soft costs, and limit disruptions to operations.
By adding more office space, the Operations Department could also be accommodated on one site.
“This would facilitate improved team collaboration, operating efficiencies, coverage during staff absences, and it would provide additional capacity at City Hall to relocate departments working at remote sites and/or allow for further consideration of reconfiguring Council Chambers,” said Director of Operational Services Zabrina Pendon in her report to council.
At the March 11 regular meeting, council was asked to award the contract for a detailed design of the public works building, which would further refine the scope and cost of the project.
They heard a Request for Proposal received six submissions, with Scott scoring highest during the evaluation process. City staff explained the top three evaluated proponents were invited to interview.
They found that while Scott had extensive experience, the company’s design was in the early stages and contractors were still being contacted, which could lead to an increase in cost for the City.
As such, staff recommended awarding the contract to Eagle Builders LP, which had invested significant time investigating the site and staff’s needs, and offered a design that was “95 per cent complete”.
Eagle’s proposed concept replaces every buildings in the public works yard, as well as providing room for the entire Operations Department and a separation between the visiting public and staff.
The company initially quoted the City $6,592,900 with a five-year warranty but staff were able to revise the cost down to $5.98 million with a proposed budget of $5.05 million
In response to questions from council, Pendon said facilities and equipment will be repurposed where possible. She also clarified that council can choose not to proceed with the project during each phase of the design.
The $107,000 contract was awarded to Eagle, which was due to present the 50 per cent detailed design to Committee of the Whole on Monday.