It was a beautiful day to raise the roof.
The rafters were installed on the new Englefeld Fire Hall on September 29, thanks to the use of a crane from Mollenbeck Industries Ltd., and some volunteer labour from local firefighters.
Standing in front of the frame for the new hall, which is right next to the old fire hall on Englefeld's Main St., Fire Chief Dave Regie of the Englefeld Fire Department (EFD) couldn't stop smiling at the new structure.
"It's 40' by 60'," he explained, "with a washroom, mechanical room and three bays."
The old hall, which could be seen between the studs in the walls of the new hall, could fit into one bay of the new structure.
The small size of the old fire hall was the main reason behind the need for a new one.
Built in the early 1980s, the old hall had just enough room for the EFD's 1977 pumper truck, the firefighter's bunker gear and not much else. The firefighters managed to squeeze in a small table they could sit at to hold meetings, but that meant some of the 11 active members had to perch on the truck.
That won't be the case with this new building. There is ample space for a table, Regie pointed out, and even for enough chairs around it.
No one, he agreed, will have to sit on the truck anymore.
But more importantly, the new hall will have room to house the department's rescue unit and tanker truck, both of which are now housed in the village shop, which is not heated.
That means the tanker is pretty much unusable in the winter, which has made firefighters nervous about fighting a major fire during those cold months.
Until now, that is.
Led by hired contractor Rodney Venderbuhs from Englefeld, a crew of volunteers - mostly members of the EFD and a few members of the community - started construction on their new fire hall in mid-September.
About 10 guys have been showing up every night after supper for about an hour and a half to help with the construction, Regie reported.
They had wanted to start in the summer, he added, but that just didn't work out. Though the weather has been great for building in September, it does get dark early.
Perhaps to make up for any time lost to darkness, the volunteers have been working Saturdays as well. On September 24, when the heat reached over 30C, they still put in about five hours on the new hall, Regie said proudly.
Part of what they did in the past two weeks was put the rafters of the hall together into two big pieces, which were hauled up by crane. Those two pieces were then nailed into place by intrepid firefighters who seemed to have no fear of the height of the building on which they were perched.
Though the sun was shining brightly the day of the rafter installation, it likely won't be long until the weather cools off.
According to Regie, the EFD hopes to get the structure completed before the snow flies. They were on schedule to get the exterior done the weekend of October 1, after which they would start insulating and working on the interior.
Fundraising continues
The labour donated by the firefighters and other members of the community is part of what has kept the cost of this project low. But there's still a $100,000 price tag on this new fire hall structure.
The good news for the village is that about $50,000 of that cost has been raised through donations and fundraisers held to benefit the hall project.
The village is still hoping to fundraise the rest of the money needed, noted Lani Best, village administrator.
They are still accepting donations, she said, and plan to do a few more fundraisers.
The village has done their best to keep the cost of this hall low.
For instance, Best noted, Randy Strunk of Stammen Lumber suggested the roof design, which peaks at the front of the building and tapers down towards the back. This design, Best was told, would be more cost-effective than others.
The design for the rest of the building, done by David Mueller of 3D Drafting and Design, was donated, Best added, which also helped their costs.
This new fire hall, she added, doesn't just mean the EFD's water tanker is in a heated building, so it's ready to go. It also means that "other town equipment can be under a roof," she said, including the village's grader and garbage truck.
"It's not just the fire department that's going to benefit. It's everything," she said.
