STOUGHTON - The RM of Tecumseh building project has been completed.
PCL’s special projects team was awarded the job and they were happy to do so, as the first job they ever did was completed near Stoughton 116 years ago.
In 1906, Poole Construction was established and founded by Ernie Poole when he erected a farmhouse just north of Stoughton.
When E.E. Poole General Contractor hung a sign on his office in Stoughton, he had no idea how his company would grow to the size it is today.
In 1977, an employee ownership program was implemented, and the company name would now be PCL Construction. They have 30 offices across the globe and employ 9,500 people. It is the largest general contractor in Canada.
The RM of Tecumseh once again returned the builders to their roots with the new construction, which began in August 2021. It is located at the north end of Stoughton on Government Road.
New office space is what PCL Special Projects does the best, but this build was going to hold a lot of history for both the area and PCL.
With 5,000 square feet of office space, the single story, framed building will house offices, a mailroom, meeting rooms, storage space and an archives room.
PCL made sure to engage in hiring local trades to help with the build. These trades came from Arcola, Weyburn, Estevan and Milestone areas. They feel it is important to include local trades with such an important build and to be part of such a community project.
Thirteen months later, the project is complete. The ornamental grass and shrubs adorn the front of the building, which is finished in pale yellow with brick along the bottom to give a beautiful roadside appeal.
The front parking lot is completely paved with an entrance on the west and north side of the building for easy access, while allowing for plenty of parking space.
The inside consists of large, spacious rooms with a large bright foyer.
On Oct. 5, Reeve Zandra Slater and council held their first meeting in the new council chambers.
A luncheon was held on Oct. 14 to welcome everyone to the new building, including all staff, the reeve, council members and Colin Haus, PCL construction manager for special projects, and Sean Tulloch, the project manager.
According to Slater, an open house will be held at a later date, as the move to the new building is still in progress.