Neepawa approves fire hall construction

Details

Published on Saturday, November 25, 2017

File photo. An artist’s rendering of the proposed fire hall, which was unveiled earlier this year. 

Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press

By March 2019, Neepawa will have a new fire hall. On Tuesday, Nov. 21, Neepawa Town council formally approved the construction of the proposed 10,000-square-foot structure, which will be built on the former C.N. property, near Mill Street. 

Crane Steel Structures Ltd, based out of Brandon, won the construction bid with a tender of $2.592 million, plus GST. The next lowest bid was from Excel Construction, also of Brandon, for $2.67 million. All of the other bids were over $3 million.
Mayor Adrian de Groot noted that while Crane was the lowest bid, it was their solid reputation for quality work across the Westman region that made this an easy decision.

“What we’ve done is that we did some site visits with a few of the contractors to see exactly what they were capable of. To look at the physical construction. We found that Crane Steel was a reputable company,” said de Groot. “Looking at all the factors, we felt that [Crane Steel] were  the best option to provide us with stability in this build. We feel comfortable that they will be able to do the job.”

Construction will be scheduled to begin on May 1, 2018, with an end date of sometime in March of the following year. The estimated $2.592 million price tag is higher than the $2 million that has been set aside from the Town’s reserve funds for the project. De Groot noted that since the construction spans over the next two fiscal years, the Town will have options available to offset the extra cost.

“What our administration has been discussing over the last several weeks, is that one of the advantages that we have here is that it would be over two budget periods. So, the impact will be over those two budget periods. Certainly that makes a big difference. It allows for some flexibility. Some carryovers into 2019 and looking at a smoother transition in order to manage the cost,” he said.

When asked if one of the options to cover the cost could be the use of additional funds from the reserves, de Groot said the final decisions on that, at this point, are still speculative. “We don’t know yet, what our year-end is. Last year, we had about 600 and some odd thousand dollars unspent in savings and things like that. If we see another year like that, although we want rather to not have it, because, are there things that we didn’t spend that we should of. So, yeah, it’s a little bit premature, but we’re confident that we have the ability to go forward. That’s where we’re at right now. We have that confidence.”

Perpetual care extended

The Riverside Cemetery’s Perpetual Care (PC) program will continue for another year. Town council agreed to a deal with Vanstone Nurseries, of Portage la Prairie, to provide petunias. The agreement is for one year, starting in 2018, at a cost of $11,136, taxes included. There is an option to extend for an additional two years, with the cost being $11,424 for the second year, and $11,442 for a third year. Mayor de Groot said this provides the town with flexibility, as they evaluate the program.  Six companies placed bids with the Town of Neepawa to provide the petunias. The previous contract had an estimated cost of $17,000 per year. 

Deal reached with workers

A tentative deal has been reached between the Town of Neepawa and its unionized employees. On Nov. 3, local members of CUPE Local 1735 voted to accept the terms of the contract, which will run through to 2020. The previous deal expired at the end of 2016, with both sides working on the new collective bargaining agreement since that time. Since the agreement has not yet been officially signed, the exact details of the deal cannot yet be made public. 

Incentive plan approved

Neepawa’s new incentive program to attract more development has received final approval. The by-law, which would provide taxation incentives for new multiple-unit residential developments, as well as new or expanding, commercial and industrial developments, received second and third reading and was passed unanimously.
One of the main components of the “Development Incentives By-law” would be a multi-year municipal tax credit, which would essentially serve as phased-in approach to tax rates for certain projects. The length and amount of the incentive would vary, depending upon the type of development.

Pre-budget survey

A survey asking for ratepayers’ thoughts and suggestions on the 2018 budget has been unveiled. The survey is available online on the town’s website (www.neepawa.ca). Anyone who fills in the survey is eligible for a $75 credit on their water bill or $75 worth of Chamber bucks.