Having the proper facilities is a key ingredient in having adequate fire protection. The Dalum Fire Department is moving forward with plans to build a new fire hall as early as the fall.
    At the moment, survey crews are studying the proposed site, which is adjacent to the current hall.
    “Our next phase is to do a topographical study to figure out where water is draining. Then, we’ll start moving dirt in about three weeks or a month. We’ll start building in late fall or early winter. For now, we just want to get the pad in so we’re ready to go,” said Fire Chief Albert Jensen.
    The new fire hall will boast six bays and a meeting/training space for firefighters. The current hall is only two bays and several vehicles have to be left outside.
    The cost could go up to $895,739. Wheatland County has pledged 60 per cent of the funding and the Dalum Fire Department has been tasked with raising the remaining 40 per cent.
    “It has been passed through County Council and capital committee for 60 per cent funding. That means we have to raise the rest of it. We’re quite confident we’ll be able to raise the money,” said Jensen. “We raised 40 per cent of the money for all the vehicles we have.”

Fire Chief Albert Jensen (right) accepts a donation of $500 from UFA agent Don Petersen, with Dalum Fire Protection Association president Colin Jensen, and Deputy Chief Mike Ostergard. The donations kick-started the fundraising campaign to build a new fire hall in Dalum. It is estimated construction will commence in the late fall or winter this year.

    To kick-off the fundraising campaign, local UFA agent Don Petersen donated $500 to the Dalum Fire Department in recognition of Farmers’ Day on June 7.
    “In celebration of Farmer’s Day, we had a choice of where to put $500. There’s nothing better, in my eyes, to put the money towards than a rural fire hall. They’re the go-to guys for any farmer when there is a fire in the country, whether it be a grass fire, hay bale on fire, or anything else,” said Petersen. “They support me, so I’d like to support them.”
    The Dalum Fire Department is welcoming any further donations to help build the new hall.
    “We cover such a huge area through mutual aid agreements, so it’s not just for Dalum, it’s for the entire area,” said Jensen. “We’re in desperate need of this hall. We would appreciate any help people are willing to give. We do mutual aid in a huge area.”

    One of Delia’s biggest infrastructure projects in recent years is slated to begin this summer, which will shut down several blocks for up to two months.
    The Village of Delia will be upgrading the sewer line on 1 Avenue and the southern-most block of Main Street and replacing the water main on the southern-most block of Main Street.
    The project is the second, and largest, in a series to completely upgrade Delia’s aging sewer lines.
    “We have a long-term plan to do all of the sewer lines in Delia. This is the second phase,” said Delia CAO Caroline Siverson. “Over time, everything going through the sewer starts to eat away at the cement pipes. Putting some new PVC will last longer and we’ll start a maintenance program.”
    The Village will also be installing an asphalt overlay on Main Street between 1 Avenue and 4 Avenue.
    “The sewer was done when they did the sewer project on Main Street, but it’s deteriorating quite badly, so this was a good opportunity to get that done. It’s always less expensive when you have a contractor here doing a lot of work,” said Siverson.
    In addition, the project provides an opportunity to remove the leftovers of a gas station that used to be in Delia.
    “That block also entails excavation of contaminated soil and fuel tanks. Now that we’re digging up the road, it’s a good time to do the remediation,” said Siverson.
    It is expected the project, once started, will take six to eight weeks.
    The cost is $1,081,969. Most of the project is covered by grant funding and operating surplus. However, the Village aims to borrow $300,000 to help cover the cost of the project.
    “The Village has no debt at the moment. We say we’re looking at $300,000 to borrow, but we’re probably not going to use that much. Taking into account the contingency (budget), you never know what you’re going to run into when things get started, so it’s better to be prepared than not have the money in place,” said Siverson.
    Two further phases are planned for 2015 and 2017.
    “This is our biggest project by far, so that’s why we have to borrow. With the grant funding we’re expecting over the next few years, we won’t have to borrow for the other two projects,” said Siverson.