Officials with the City of Peterborough held a ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday (February 16) for the new $10-million fire station to be built at 100 Marina Boulevard.
The site at the former location of Northcrest Arena was approved in April 2021 by Peterborough city council following a detailed site study and public consultation process. Other locations that had previously been on the short list included Inverlea Park and Sunset Park, leading to protests by community groups.
The new facility will be the city’s first building designed, built, and certified as a zero carbon building for both performance and design categories.
“The new fire station will help position and support our fire services workers as they respond to emergency calls in our community,” said Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal. “By building it using zero carbon standards, we’re reducing our environmental footprint in our delivery of this essential service.”
Designed by Lett Architects Inc., the new facility is being built following the Canada Green Building Council’s zero carbon building standard, with building materials selected to address embodied emissions during construction and achieve net zero carbon targets.
The facility is designed to achieve net zero energy performance using onsite renewable energy that will reduce operating and maintenance costs.
The new facility replaces the existing Fire Station 2 on Carnegie Avenue. The needs of fire services have evolved since the existing facility was built in 1967, according to Peterborough Fire Services chief Chris Snetsinger.
“The station has served our community well over the years, but because of its design it has become increasingly challenging to provide the services that are necessary from the existing station,” Snetsinger said. “The new station is designed and strategically located to support our community’s existing neighbourhoods and projected growth.”
The city awarded the construction contract for the project to JCB Construction Canada for $10 million. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2024.
