Teslin, Yukon, getting money for new fire hall, energy retrofits

The Village of Teslin, Yukon, is getting millions of dollars for a new fire hall, it was announced Tuesday.

The money will also go to other projects, including energy retrofits to make buildings more energy efficient, and a new public works storage facility.

The funding comes from the federal government and its territorial counterpart; $9.3 million and $3.1 million, respectively.

The biggest portion of the money — $5.5 million — is for the fire hall.

"As a community, a growing community, we're gonna need the infrastructure, and I want to be able to make sure that this building will cover our needs for the next 20, 30, maybe 50 years," said Teslin Volunteer Fire Department Chief James Smarch in the community at the event for the announcement.

The department currently shares space in the Teslin Municipal Centre, which also houses other departments.

That building and several Teslin Tlingit Council buildings will be getting retrofits, totalling $1.3 million and $5.23 million respectively.

Mayor Gord Curran was there for the announcement.

"It's like anything, like, when you're upgrading your house. You know, windows get older, their doors get older and, when you put money into it, you will save money in the long run over," he said.

The village's government will be managing its projects itself, he added.

The location of the new fire hall, its design, and its size haven't been determined yet.

Smarch said he wants firefighters to have quick access to the nearby highway, noting the majority of the department's calls involve motor vehicles, and the department covers about 200 kilometres of highway.

He said he's looking forward to the bigger space, including an area for training.

The department has between nine and 11 volunteers, and Smarch said he's looking to boost that to between 15 and 20.

"A lot of our members are volunteering 24/7," he said.