Minor upgrades planned at community centre
Okotoks: Fire department's vehicle update plan almost complete
Several years’ worth of work to update the Okotoks fire department’s fleet of vehicles is almost complete.
The Town is looking to borrow $275,000 to pay for a new water tanker for the fire department and if approved, the new vehicle will replace a 1992 model, which is reaching the end of its lifespan.
“It’s used where there’s not a lot of access to water or we can’t access hydrants,” said fire chief Ken Thevenot. “It’s anywhere outside for grass fires or anywhere in the MD for structure fires, grass fires or vehicles fires.”
Both the old and new tankers hold about 2,000 gallons of water.
The fire department’s front-line roster includes three fire engines, one rescue truck, one ladder truck, two wild land fire vehicles, two command vehicles, one rescue boat and one tanker.
The move follows up on work to modernize the department’s fleet, with several new vehicles being purchased in the past five years.
Last year, town council approved borrowing $650,000 to purchase a new fire engine and a new wild land vehicle.
Once all the new vehicles arrive, the oldest front-line vehicle will be a 2001 fire engine. The department also has a 1988 model fire engine as a reserve unit.
Thevenot said the department shouldn’t need to purchase any new vehicles for a while. As well, he said the department won’t need to purchase any new vehicles once the Southridge Emergency Services Building opens and the existing fleet will be redistributed between the department’s two buildings.
“We’re good for a number of years now,” he said.
The department is also upgrading its breathing units for the price of $320,000 over the next two years.
Community centre repairs
The Foothills Centennial Centre will be getting a bit of a facelift.
Town council approved $73,040 in repairs and upgrades to the facility for general maintenance and to meet building code rules missed when the building was completed.
“There were some items that were missed in the final inspection and they’ll be corrected and it will be a significant improvement to the operation of the facility,” said Doug Fraser, Foothills Centennial Centre board chair.
The centre won’t close to do the repairs and they will be completed this year.
“There’s time to do the repairs without impacting the operations,” he said.
The centre has a list of 30 repairs to complete, with some needed to meet building code requirements and others as a result of regular life-cycle maintenance. Some are minor repairs, include $500 to repair linoleum in the Okotoks and District Seniors Centre and $9,000 to repair stucco finishing.
The Town owns the facility, but it is operated by a separate board.
The repairs will be paid for out of a reserve fund set up to cover maintenance at the facility. Approval by Town council is needed to access the funds.
Fraser also said there are no major repairs needed.
“I think this will keep us for a long while,” he said.
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