City celebrates Protective Services Facility during grand opening on Oct. 26
It wasn’t your usual ribbon cutting, but it was certainly fitting of the location.
On Monday, Oct. 26, members of Spruce Grove City Council and Protective Services staff safely held a traditional hose uncoupling ceremony to celebrate the completed renovation and expansion of the Protective Services Facility in Spruce Grove.
“The facility has undergone a significant transformation that represents our continued commitment to keeping Spruce Grove residents safe,” says Spruce Grove Mayor Stuart Houston. “It is modern and efficient, and will benefit the community and our staff as they continue to serve and protect our city.”
Due to COVID-19 and the related guidelines and restrictions, the grand opening was not able to be a public event, but residents are invited to take a virtual tour of the facility and view photos from the afternoon.
Located at the corner of King Street and Fifth Avenue, the $23.6 million facility is home to Spruce Grove Enforcement Services and Fire Services, and features:
- An additional 50,278 square feet of space;
- Administrative and training spaces;
- Equipment bays with room for 18 emergency vehicles;
- A three-storey training tower;
- A dedicated area for exercise equipment; and
- Private dormitories for the City’s firefighters who live in the facility on rotating platoons.
“We are very fortunate to have such hard working, dedicated Protective Services staff here in Spruce Grove and we are proud of the work they do in our community,” says Interim City Manager David Wolanski. “This newly renovated and expanded facility will help support this work for years to come.”
In total, the facility will accommodate 75 staff with room for future growth.
Construction on the $23.6 million project began in July 2018 and was approved by Spruce Grove City Council in December 2016.
Honouring Our Past
During the renovation and expansion, an effort was made to honour our community’s past and collaborate with local residents to incorporate a number of special components, including:
- A custom kitchen table was constructed by students from Spruce Grove Composite High School during the 2018–19 school year.
- A commemorative plaque recognizing the 50th anniversary of fire services in Spruce Grove will be hung in a new place of honour in the renovated portion of the facility.
- The City’s fire siren, used between 1973 and 1977 to call volunteer firefighters to the station, was preserved and is still visible from the front of the building.
- A mural, painted in 2009 by Spruce Grove Fire Services Lieutenant Bryce McNalley, was saved and is still on display in its original home inside the renovated portion of the facility.
- Alie the Alligator, an honorary member of Spruce Grove Fire Services who lived in the previous fire hall for 40 years, was relocated to the grating beneath the equipment bay.
Additionally, the City rededicated the Brookwood ball diamond to Rick Delorme, a Spruce Grove employee who lost his life while working for the City in December 1992. The original Rick Delorme ball diamond was dedicated in July 1994 and was located on land adjacent to the facility, which was required to accommodate the expansion. A rededication ceremony was held at the Brookwood ball diamond in 2017 with Rick’s family and friends, and City staff.
