Creston Emergency Services Building

Creston, B.C., October 3, 2022: As the Creston Emergency Services Building (CESB) is getting ready for operational status, the construction and project budget was finalized with the adoption of the Five Year Financial Plan (2022-2026) Amendment Bylaw at the September 27, 2022 Council Meeting. On July 26, 2022, Staff provided Council a report on the final costs and offsetting revenues to close out the project, prompting Council to amend their Five Year Financial plan.

With this final amendment increasing the project budget by $750,000, the CESB project cost is $9.9 million. The breakdown of funding is $4.5 million borrowing as approved in 2018 through referendum, $1.8 million from BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), $1.7 million in grants (Canada Community Building Fund, Fortis and Province of BC) and $1.9 million reserves (including some savings specific to the fire hall project). With the project funding there will be no additional taxation related to the project.

“After the unsuccessful referendum for borrowing in 2017, we heard people say that we need to have some savings used to offset the borrowing for a new fire hall. In 2018 and subsequent budget years, Council increased taxation specifically to save for a new fire hall. That taxation is now what will be used to repay the $4.5 million debt, and it will not be necessary to increase taxes to pay for the increased cost”, said Mayor Ron Toyota.

The original $6.35 million project budget established in 2017 was adjusted several times, including the added expense related to the Council appointed community advisory committee and consultants after the initial unsuccessful referendum for borrowing.

“The project budget reflects the costs associated with this new building dating back many years. It was necessary for Council to work with the community and building professionals to understand the need for a fire hall and what it must have to get us through the next 50 to 100 years. The successful referendum for borrowing in 2018 was to borrow $4.5 million and the remainder of the costs will be funded from other sources” added Mayor Toyota.

As the building neared tendering in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in Council needing to make difficult decisions to move the project forward. “We received tenders in July 2020 that estimated the cost of a new fire hall at $12.7 million. We had to re-think the process to get the project back to an affordable and functional building for our first responders and the community including following the construction market to the lowest cost structure built out of concrete that would meet post-disaster standards established by the building code”, Mayor Toyota explained.

In February 2021, Council adjusted the construction budget to $7 million due to the changes in the construction industry caused by the pandemic and supply chain shortages. This increased the project budget to $8.15 million inclusive of design, property purchase and legal fees. In September 2021, the individual construction tenders were 14% higher than estimates in February adding nearly $1 million to the project in the 2022 budget cycle.

“The project funding over the past few years has definitely changed. Originally it was planned that BC Ambulance (BCEHS) would be contributing $1 million towards the project, and now they are contributing over $1.8 million. The Town of Creston received $543,000 from the Canada Community Building Fund, another $60,000 grant from Fortis and $1,110,000 from the provincial COVID-19 grant”, said Chief Administrative Officer Michael Moore. “This final budget amendment includes any outstanding professional fees, site servicing, paving and contingency for delays.”

The detailed Council staff report (located at www.creston.ca under Council Meeting Agendas for July 26, 2022) outlines the costs and revenues of the entire project dating back to the unsuccessful referendum for borrowing in 2017 and how the budget has been amended over the past four years. As with all infrastructure projects across all sectors, this project has faced many challenges related to the pandemic and supply chain shortages.

Mayor Toyota said of the project, “Cost increases have been experienced in the construction industry across North America due to extremely limited product supply. There’s no way around the fact that COVID impacted the cost and supply of all goods. With no data to suggest that costs and supply would improve, Council chose to move forward to complete this important facility for our first responders. Had we waited, there is almost no likelihood that the project would have decreased in cost. It is unfortunate that this building couldn’t have been completed prior to the pandemic and the resulting supply chain issues, but we are so pleased that after nearly ten years of discussion and planning, we are finally able to provide our first responders and our community with a facility that we can all be proud of”.

We're so excited to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Creston Emergency Services Building on Saturday, September 24 with you!

Opening ceremonies will start at approximately 10:30 a.m. with the arrival of a procession of our firefighters (led by pipes and drums from The Kimberley Pipe Band) who will be making their way from our existing Fire Hall to the new CESB (1505 Cook St.). We will have a short program with ceremonial traditions, and are honoured that members of the Freemasons of BC and Yukon will also be conducting a cornerstone ceremony for us and the new building!

Please note that there is limited parking available onsite which is reserved for those with mobility challenges. General parking is available at the College of the Rockies and Millennium Park.

We look forward to seeing you next Saturday, September 24!

The building is almost complete! The crews are busy working on a few finishing touches inside the building, and if all goes well, the building should be done by the end of August! Watch for our Grand Opening celebration in September.

Creston Emergency Services Building is nearing completion with a grand opening being planned by the Town of Creston in September. The finishing of the building is scheduled for early August as the finishing touches are being completed. While there were hopes to have the building completed in the late spring, there have been supply chain issues hampering the delivery of items which are slowly arriving. Stay tuned for details of the grand opening event!

The Creston Emergency Services Building project continues to progress on schedule. Within the last few weeks, the steel stud framing was completed. The North set of stairs were poured ,and curbs and coring were completed in the Mezzanine area.

Over the next few weeks the mechanical and electrical rough-in’s in the Administration and Apparatus spaces will be ongoing and as well as the coring in the Administration area. Installation of the backing for cabinets and washroom accessories are also set to begin. Sprinkler rough-ins, the pouring of the south stairs and southside bollard installation will be completed.

Click here to see pictures and a project briefing update.

The Creston Emergency Services Building project continues to progress on schedule as electrical and mechanical contractors install underground services on the inside of the building. Within the last two weeks, the front apparatus driveway was poured with concrete and roofers are finishing the roof on the administration side of the building. The driveway on the south entrance is still being brought up to grade and Fortis installed the gas meter to the new building.

Over the next two weeks it is anticipated that all the window frames will be installed, the roof is completed and that the testing of all underground services in the building will be completed. This will allow for the completion of the concrete floors to be poured on the main floor.

While the pandemic has challenged the project, at this time it has not created any delays in the completion in the spring of 2022.

Click here to see pictures and a project briefing update.

Council Refers Decisions Regarding Creston Emergency Services Building Construction Budget To 2022 Budget Process

Creston, B.C., September 22, 2021: During their Committee of the Whole meeting held on September 21, 2021, Town Council made the recommendation to refer decisions regarding the construction budget of the Creston Emergency Services Building (CESB) and options for the existing Fire Hall to the Town of Creston’s upcoming 2022 budget process.

The recommendation comes after the staff presentation detailing cost implications now that the majority of tenders for the new building have been received. As a result of COVID sourcing and supply issues, these tenders have come in at 10-25% over anticipated, increasing the construction budget required to complete the building. Council also received information on funding options to cover the costs without any increase to taxation or changes to scheduled 2022 capital projects,

“While this is not an optimal situation, it is not completely unexpected,” said Mayor Ron Toyota. “Cost increases are being experienced in the construction industry across North America due to extremely limited product supply. There’s no way around the fact that COVID has impacted the cost and supply of all goods, and there is no data to suggest that costs and supply will improve anytime soon. We can only plan with the best information that we have right now,” he added.

Construction of the new building on Cook Street is well underway as tenders are being issued in sequence.

“We’re extremely pleased to see the building taking shape, with the foundation, walls, and roof in place,” added Mayor Toyota. “We are looking forward to the completion of this new facility that we can all be proud of.”

Chandos Construction along with Town staff and community volunteers from the Technical Building Advisory Committee continue to meet weekly to oversee construction management with an eye to reducing costs while ensuring functionality. To date, this process has reduced costs of previous tenders by approximately $500,000.

“The areas where we are seeing the greatest cost increases are mechanical (approximately $400k higher than anticipated), concrete supply (approximately $300K higher than anticipated), openings (windows, doors, etc. approximately $200K higher than anticipated) and finishes (approximately $150K higher than anticipated),” said Michael Moore, Chief Administrative Officer. “We have also made considerable modifications to reduce costs wherever possible through changing products and methodologies. Since March, we have reduced $500,000 in costs through value engineering, and we will continue this process. Now that the majority of tenders for the big-ticket items are in, we can more accurately plan for completion at the best possible price and value for our community.”

The presentation made to Council gave an overview of the options available for Council’s consideration during the Town’s 2022 budget discussions which will begin in November. The presentation summarized the current funding model including partner contributions from the Regional District of Central Kootenay (29% of project cost) and BC Ambulance (15% of construction cost), as well potential revenue from the sale of the existing Fire Hall and Ambulance Station. Council also made the recommendation to issue a Request for Proposal to determine if there is an alternate community use for these buildings prior to selling.

“We are so close to this building being finished and move-in ready. Council continues to be committed to completing this project to ensure we can meet the health and safety needs of our first responders, while minimizing financial impact to our community,” Mayor Toyota stated.

The Creston Emergency Services Building is scheduled for completion in spring 2022.

To view the PowerPoint presentation presented to Council, please click here.

The Creston Emergency Services Building project continues to progress on schedule as Eagle Builders finishes the walls and the roofing base materials.

The installation of concrete wall panels began on August 18th and was wrapped up earlier this week. Eagle Builders installed steel beams and roof decking in preparation for the roof to be completed in the coming weeks. Hollow core concrete panels and steel posts were installed for the second floor in the main part of the building as well as for the mezzanine in the apparatus bays. Steel stairs were installed at both ends of the building for access to to the second floor area.

This completes a major milestone of the project and provides a visual of the new Creston Emergency Services Building.

Moving forward into the next couple of weeks, roofing for the structure will be completed. Chandos, the Construction Manager for the project, will finalize the remainder of the outstanding tender work to award contracts to sub-trades that will complete the facility.

Click here to see pictures and a project briefing update.