Skip to content

Tender issued for new municipal services building in Watson Lake

The building is to house a fire hall and public works shops
21658117_web1_200527_YKN_news_WatsonLake_building-wb_1
The Yukon government has issued a tender for the construction of a new municipal services building in Watson Lake that will house a new fire hall and public works shops, infrastructure a town official says is much-needed. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Yukon government has issued a tender for the construction of a new municipal services building in Watson Lake that will house a new fire hall and public works shops, infrastructure a town official says is much-needed.

According to documents posted online alongside the tender on May 21, the one-storey, approximately 1,430-square-metre facility will be located on a lot at the coroner of Ninth Street South and Centennial Avenue, behind the Northern Lights Centre.

In an interview May 26, Watson Lake chief administrative officer Cam Lockwood said the town hasn’t had its own fire hall since the last one burned down in 1996 along with the municipal office.

The municipality has been renting space to serve as a fire hall ever since.

“It’s long overdue for us having our own facility that’s up to date and up to code,” Lockwood said.

“… We’re looking forward to having a new facility that’s state-of-the-art for our community, because our fire service covers a large area.”

Public works staff will also be moved into the new building. Lockwood said that currently, they’re working in an old building where the space also doubles as storage, meaning there’s no storage space when repairs are being done on equipment.

Planning documents show that half of the new municipal services building will house the fire hall, featuring four fire bays and an office-dispatch area among other things, while the other half will have four equipment bays, a tool and chemicals room, records and seasonal storage spaces and an office for public works. A large training room will separate the two departments.

The project has been about a year in the making, Lockwood said, with the municipality having already cleared and subgraded the site by fall of 2019. Watson Lake officials have also spent the past months working with the Yukon government to secure federal funding for the design and build.

Bidding on the construction tender closes at 4 p.m. June 25; Lockwood said he expects some preliminary work will take place before freeze-up, with the building expected to be completed in either the spring or summer of 20201.

Contact Jackie Hong at jackie.hong@yukon-news.com