M.D. to draft lending bylaw for BRFA renovations work

The M.D. of Bonnyville has tasked staff to lay out options for a lending bylaw in order to help fund the renovations of the new Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority building.

At a special council meeting on Tuesday, council directed administration to draft a lending bylaw in the amount of $4.5 million to be repaid over a 20-year period. It would see the M.D. lending the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority the necessary funding for the renovations of the future home of the Bonnyville fire station, EMS, 911, and BRFA administration, located at the former Kopala building. 

“It’s just to get the ball rolling,” said Reeve Barry Kalinski, alluding to options the BRFA may consider in funding the work. 

“We had to make a decision whether to back a loan and then at the regular council meeting, we talked about stuff, we wanted to have a special meeting to see if we’d actually back this loan. 

“If we take money from our own reserves, then we don’t have to pay interest. This still has to go through council twice more and the BRFA might not want to do that anyways. They might want to get their own loan and go do it that way.” 

The motion is expected to be read for the first time at the following regular meeting on Tuesday, March 14.

Progress is continuing on the project, with the tenders closing awhile ago.

“Any day we’ll be pulling the trigger out there,” Mayor Elisa Brosseau said to Lakeland Connect. 

The makeup of the building is needed to accommodate 911 calling, as well as the home of Fire Station 5, BRFA admin Station 1, and the ambulance hall.

More details on how the M.D. and the BRFA are moving forward and the methods of the bylaw will be known next week.