The Village of Queen Charlotte carried on with construction of the new fire hall on Wednesday, with the contractor installing electrical conduit at the site.
The Observer reported on April 3 that construction of the new hall, located at 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue, had been delayed due to COVID-19, but the village announced its decision to proceed on April 15 with safe work procedures in place.
Following the advice of the BC Centre for Disease Control, the village ensured a hand-washing station was provided on site for the workers from Apple Electric, who practised physical distancing.
“The contractor has been on-island for over two months and is leaving this Thursday,” the village notice about the construction said.
“By getting the conduit installed now, we will be in a position to hire locals to complete some of the next parts of the project without bringing new people on island.”
Chief Administrative Officer Lori Wiedeman told the Observer the village was still working with Lower Mainland-based Liberty Contract Management to determine if construction can continue beyond installing the electrical with local people involved, but they “haven’t fleshed out the details.”
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Before the pandemic hit, the village was hoping to have the new hall open in September 2020. Wiedeman said a revised timeline for completion was not yet available at the time of publication.
Construction was designated an essential service by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on March 26, as part of a list of activities ordered to continue by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.
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