Barrie-based Salter Pilon Architecture Inc. has been awarded the contract for architectural services for the first phase of the city’s $164.4-million emergency services revitalization project.
The first phase of the project carries a budget of $65.5-million and includes the construction of two new emergency services stations:
- Station 2 - Minnow Lake ($9.2 million)
- Station 20 - Garson ($11.8 million)
It also includes the extensive renovation of three stations:
- Station 16 - Val Therese ($17.3 million)
- Station 4 - Long Lake ($10.8 million)
- Station 1 - Van Horne ($16.2 million)
As Fire and Paramedic Services Chief Joseph Nicholls clarified during a recent finance and administration committee meeting of city council, the Van Horne station renovation might end up turning into a new build.
“When we start looking at it, there are challenges with this location and the ability to make it fit what we need it to fit,” he said.
“We were forward-thinking, and when we went to market for an architectural firm, that was in the scope of work to help us look at that and see if it makes more sense to build that new, in a new location.”
With the city council-approved scope of work including the Van Horne station’s renovation, a new build would need to be approved at a future meeting, if that’s what the architect clarifies should be done to meet the service’s needs.
Two additional sites will be reviewed as part of the Van Horne station work west of Paris Street, south of Elm Street and east of the railway tracks.
Salter Pilon Architecture Inc. has been around for 62 years and specializes in various public spaces, including fire and emergency services headquarters.
Among their most recent projects is the Brampton Fire and Emergency Services Headquarters and Training Centre, a 68,437-square-foot facility granted occupancy in 2022.
The design “was executed through Integrated Design Team meetings with all stakeholders present and working to achieve a holistic design that complements all end users,” according to their website.
“Through this process and using lean design, we found efficiencies in shared spaces and reduced the size of the facility by nearly 40,000 square feet. The design initiative produced a community building that promotes the interaction of all staff, and the ability to work freely in the facility.”
The City of Brampton is a repeat customer, having also enlisted the architects for the Brampton Fire Station No. 211 and Peel Regional Paramedic Services Satellite Station, which opened in 2014.
Another recent Salter Pilon Architecture project is the $11.9-million Barrie Fire and Emergency Service Station No. 1, which the City of Barrie was able to begin construction of three months after design started. This project broke ground in August.
In addition to hiring an architect, Nicholls said that city project manager Jason Radley has been assigned to the job and that site selection and schematic design development was beginning.
Representatives from Salter Pilon Architecture will be visiting Greater Sudbury in the coming weeks to visit existing and potential sites as part of the project.
The schedule for the project’s first phase calls for detailed design development by June 2025, at which time the tender for general contractors would be sent out.
The new Minnow Lake and Garson stations are required to be built by the end of 2026, while the renovation of the Val Therese, Long Lake and Van Horne stations are required to be completed by the end of 2028.
The project’s second phase is slated to be included in the city’s 2028 capital budget and beyond, and consist of nine additional sites, including seven renovations and two new builds.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.