$9.3 Million Investment Made For New Net-Zero Fire Station At Former Northcrest Arena Location

The federal government and Federation of Canadian Municipalities have invested $9.3 million to construct a new net-zero fire station at the former Northcrest Arena location on 100 Marina Blvd., announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The Green Municipal Fund, a $1.6B fund which since 2001 from the Government of Canada, has helped municipalities and local actors switch to sustainable practices faster and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by close to 3M tonnes. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The announcement was made by Whitby Member of Parliament Ryan Turnbull, who also serves as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. He was present on behalf of Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Scott Pearce, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

“This transformative project will incorporate renewable energy, mass timber construction, and water-saving technologies, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and substantial operational cost savings of $24,270 per year for the city,” said Turnbull.

The $9.3 million investment is divided into $1,226,080 in grants and $8,173,910 in loans through the Green Municipal Fund.

The new station will replace the existing Fire Station 2 at Carnegie Road.It can no longer meet the city’s needs since being built in 1967, according to the City.

“The new Fire Station #2 will be the City’s first building that is designed, built, and certified as a Zero Carbon Building for both performance and design categories,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “This key investment in the City of Peterborough Fire Services will enhance community safety by reducing emergency response times while also protecting our environment by producing zero emissions.”

The net-zero building features automated control systems, ground source heat pumps, rooftop solar panels and a heat-recovery system. The building will also be constructed from mass timber instead of concrete, steel or aluminum to achieve a lower carbon footprint. It will also include water-saving features and be resituated to reduce flood risk and meet operational standards.

Construction completion is slated for this fall. The City and Mayor Leal have yet to determine what will happen to the Carnegie fire station location.

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