Bolton fire hall completion date delayed until spring 2019

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

Construction at the north hill fire hall has ways to go before it finally opens.

The station was scheduled to be complete by the end of the year, but it's opening date will be pushed back to the New Year.

“All efforts are being made to complete this project in a timely and cost-efficient manner while acting in the best interests of Caledon residents, said Parm Chohan, spokesperson for the Town of Caledon in an email interview. Substantial completion of the new Bolton Fire hall is expected in spring 2019.”

The fire hall is planned for the north west corner of the intersection of Cross-Country Boulevard and Queen Street on Regional Road 50.

Work on the north hill fire hall stopped abruptly after the Town of Caledon removed Pegah Construction Ltd. from the $7.5 million project. The company was awarded the contract in January 2016.

Work on the 21,700 square-foot project began a short time afterwards and was originally scheduled to be completed by late 2017.

A Town memo states that following ongoing project delays and other issues, the construction contractor for the new Bolton Fire Station was found in default of its contract with the Town for not fulfilling certain contractual obligations.

The construction contractor was provided with greater than the required contractual five working days to correct its defaults or propose an acceptable plan for correction, but did not provide a plan satisfactory to the Town.

This prompt the dismissal of the company on April 23, after the Town exercised their contractual right to terminate the construction contractor's right to continue the work.

“The Town has retained Mettko Construction Limited for construction management services to assist with the completion of the new Bolton Firehall,” said Chohan. Qualified trades professionals have been and will be hired to complete the remaining work.”

A non-binding request for proposal (RFP) to complete the outstanding work has been issued to a list of prequalified construction vendors in July.

Caledon Fire and Emergency Services protects the community through nine fire stations within town boundaries. The North Hill station is needed after it was determined that Station 302, located at 28 Ann St. in downtown Bolton, became overcrowded and cannot accommodate all of the required fire apparatus, ambulances and staff, according to Town of Caledon's website.

Station 302 was constructed in 1989. It is home to 20 career firefighters, 40 volunteers and 16 paramedics. It was originally built for just 20 volunteers. It is also located in an area where the roads are narrow and have become busier with traffic over time.

The Town and Region of Peel previously conducted an initial investigation for the relocation of the Bolton Fire Hall. A consultant was hired to performed a detailed review of potential sites to help determine a preferred location.

The subject study took into consideration current operating practices, response times, current and future sources complement, including volunteer firefighter assemble times, departmental goals, trends, challenges, population growth, service needs, transportation access and access to Highway 50 and alignment with the Master Fire Plan for the Town.