2-in-1 municipal building promises 'big savings' for Faro, Yukon

The town of Faro, Yukon, is getting a new $12-million municipal building that will serve as a two-in-one facility — with both a fire hall and a public works building.

It will replace an old concrete building from the 1960s and allow the existing fire hall to be re-purposed for training or other uses.

Mayor of Faro Leonard Faber says it's a wise investment to combine two priorities in a two-for-one build.

"The cost of maintaining the building is one of the biggest pressures the community can have. So combining the two buildings making it more efficient is a big savings. It's just natural to put the buildings together," Faber said.

A federal contribution of $8.8 million was announced on Monday by Yukon MP Larry Bagnell. The Yukon government will add another $2.9 million to the project.

Project previously delayed

Yukon Minister of Community Services John Streicker says the design was revised after initial bids exceeded the budget.

"We tried this a year and a half ago and bids came in high. We had a conversation with Faro and agreed with mayor and council and the city manager that we needed to adjust the design," he said.

Some changes made from the initial plans include removing a machine shop and carpentry shop from the public works building as well as removing a meeting room and a lounge for EMS personnel.

Some architectural design was also made more square and therefore cheaper to build, said Gareth Earl, senior project manager.

The design and its revisions were done by Kobayashi + Zedda Architects based out of Whitehorse. The Yukon government has hired B.C.-based Wildstone Construction Ltd. to build it.

The building design is promised to be energy-efficient, with in-floor heating and a roof reinforced for a potential solar energy project sometime in the future.

Streicker said construction is scheduled to begin over the next year and be completed by 2022.