Port Moody's new Inlet Centre Fire Hall will be built in an environmentally sensitive area but compensation plans mean there will be no adverse effects on the natural habitat, according to a city staff report.
At Tuesday's meeting, council considered the environmentally sensitive area (ESA) development permit application, which notes that construction of the fire hall will be in areas deemed to be of high and medium sensitivity.
The work is expected to cause "harmful alteration, disruption or destruction" of fish habitat - a small Suter Brook tributary - requiring Fisheries and Oceans Canada approval. A fish habitat compensation plan, including an off-channel pond designed to enhance existing wetlands and improve access for fish and amphibians, is expected to result in an overall net gain of about 61 sq. m. (657 sq. ft.) of fish habitat.
A builder has also been announced for the project. Kinetic Construction had the winning bid for building the fire hall, at just over $6.9 million. Four other bids ranged from $7.1 million to almost $7.7 million.
The bids included optional pricing for a green roof, and Kinetic's $6.9-million plan includes $36,000 for such a roof on top of the canopy at the south end of the building. (The highest bid for the green roof was EllisDon's $70,000.)
Residents living near the fire hall can expect the large pile of sand to be moved by the end of the month (it will be used elsewhere on site) and for pile-driving to start shortly.
