By Erin Knutson

City of Fernie council May 23 unanimously approved the bid of Arcadis Architects (Canada) Inc. to complete their Firehall Project.

“Hazards to the structure where it resides today compromising staff safety led to the decision to move forward with Firewise Consulting to find a path back in 2021,” said Manager of Engineering Jenny Weir.

Four submissions to the Request for Proposal (RFP) were received, including B&A, Sahuri & Associates and Nick Bray, constituting a successful bidding according to Weir’s presentation to mayor and council.

“Following staff evaluation, Arcadis ranked the highest with a 78% average based on a list of criteria and weighting with a cost of $178,965 to complete the new Firehall. They were aligned with the city’s strategic objectives and outlined a realistic and appropriate schedule,” said Weir.

Although top in expense, Arcadis far exceeded the scores of the other firms in every other category. According to Weir, the project is scheduled to be completed by January 2024 and meets crucial public engagement standards, adding to the contract’s expense for Arcadis.

“This proposal aligns with the city’s strategic organizational objectives of investing in core infrastructure and service delivery as well as committing to timely and compelling community engagement, in that it provides staff the resources to complete a thorough project planning engagement phase, which will ultimately increase the long-term success of our operations and financial stability in the provision of Fire and Emergency Services,” she said.

Concerns over available reserve funds to meet the burgeoning cost of the contract were voiced by councillors, which was initially slated at $75,000.

Worries were assuaged by Chief Financial Officer Bryn Burditt, who assured that funds available in the Facility Renovation reserve designed for building upgrades would meet the additional $103,956 laid out in the Arcadis contract with a total balance of $1,386,394 earmarked in the 2023 financial plan.

“I feel good staff is endorsing this – to the west of us, a firehall was planned that went wrong and cost time, so I embrace community support and public engagement,” said Councillor Troy Nixon.

Mayor Nic Milligan agreed with having input from the community.

“The more robust the public engagement, the better, and we have a consulting firm here that is key to our success,” he said.

Touting Arcadis’ proposal, Milligan emphasized the desirable traits offered by the firm.

“They appear to have the fullest suite from public engagement through engineering and design, architectural support, and the best fit for what we want to accomplish.”

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