Image Credit: TNRD
Loon Lake Fire Hall

TNRD delays Loon Lake fire hall construction, bids higher than what was budgeted

Apr 13, 2021 | 11:08 AM

LOON LAKE — Loon Lake will need to wait a while longer before its new volunteer fire hall comes to fruition.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) announced on Tuesday (April 13) that construction is delayed due to bids from contractors being higher than expected.

“We went to tender on B.C. Bid, and the lowest tender was still higher than what the budget called for,” TNRD Manager of Capital Projects and Facilities Ian Dalgleish said.

The design and preliminary ground works for construction of the site were completed in 2020, and construction was expected to start in spring of 2021.

The former Loon Lake fire hall was destroyed in the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire.

Loon Lake’s Volunteer Fire Department became one of several TNRD-administered fire services in 2019. The application process to acquire property to build a new fire hall started in the same year, with a Crown lease for land acquired from the province in mid-2020.

The Crown lease has been secured for the next 30 years. The 2.64-acre area is located approximately halfway along Loon Lake, within eight kilometres of the most populous area of the community.

The TNRD says it is exploring other options to move the project forward.