BIENFAIT — The Bienfait Fire Department is getting closer to having a new building, as construction is now underway on the much-needed structure.
A sod-turning ceremony was held on July 10, with council members, firefighters and the construction firm in attendance. The building is located to the west of the old fire hall on Railway Avenue.
Town administrator Jessica Franklin said the current fire hall is undersized for the equipment that the town has, so it needs to be upgraded to ensure all equipment can be housed within the building. The current fire hall has two bays and it isn't large enough to accommodate all of the department's present equipment, which includes two fire trucks, a wildland firefighting unit, a trailer and a side-by-side.
Once the new fire hall is constructed, everything will be housed inside.
"We have to rent storage for some of the trucks, which isn't ideal because it should all be housed together at the fire hall," said Franklin. "During the summer months, we just keep it all stored outside, but during the winter we have to rent buildings to store them."
The steel for the building arrived earlier this month and Franklin predicted the building should be up before the first snowfall. The hope is to have everything finished before the end of the year.
The town and the fire department have received a lot of positive feedback about the project, she said. Firefighters helped with the design of the building and are really excited to see the project completed.
The Town of Bienfait also received a grant from the Prairies Economic Development Canada program, which covered the $1.361 million cost of the build, saving the town from fundraising for the building. But they continue to raise funds for the trucks and the other equipment that the department needs.
Mayor Ken Bonokoski is pleased with how construction is progressing on the fire hall and looks forward to seeing it completed.
"We definitely will find it a great asset," said Bonokoski.
The firefighters are excited to see this project happening, because they have seen the need for a new building for a while.
"It will give the fire department more room for training … and it will be an asset for storing equipment and for training purposes," he said.
Once the new fire hall is finished, the current building will be used for storage, as there is town equipment that could be indoors rather than outside.
The town has a joint fire suppression services agreement with the RM of Coalfields, and the two municipalities have been meeting about the new building.
