Ground breaking of the new Public Works facility in the city of Lacombe on Thursday. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Len Thompson Industrial Park

City of Lacombe breaks ground on $10.8 million Public Works facility

Jul 13, 2023 | 2:13 PM

The City of Lacombe broke ground Thursday on their new $10.8 million Public Works Facility in the Len Thompson Industrial Park.

Construction has officially begun at the new Operations Facility at 5395 Len Thompson Dr.) and is anticipated to be completed in phases by Spring 2024, according to Director of Operations and Planning, Jordan Thompson.

The Public Works department includes waste and wastewater management, parks, and roads among others. Thompson added the new facility will include a cold storage, salt and sand buildings, and will consolidate all heavy equipment and materials in a more appropriate industrial area rather than dispersed across the city in residential areas.

“Council is excited to see this critical project move ahead,” said Mayor Grant Creasey. “After an extensive development phase, Lacombe city council is confident the project will deliver value for the community.”

The mayor explained there have been some challenges during the process with varying opinions from the public.

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“Quite often, public works facilities may not be the sexiest facilities that a municipality produces and perhaps viewed by the public as excessive or not necessarily money well spent but I can assure you that the entire council team does not feel that way,” he said, adding the services the department provides are vital to the city.

He says the current facility (5442 56 Ave.) near City Hall is overcapacity, housing the majority of Public Works employees, is aging rapidly and has fulfilled its useful life. In 2022, he said some parts of the building were even built before World War II.

READ: Year in Review: Lacombe mayor says city is in positive financial and communal position after growth

“We look forward to producing a facility here that will be a spot to house people that we value and the equipment that they can fulfill their jobs in producing the high level of service that our community has come to expect and pretty much think is normal,” he said.

He added that they do not know yet what will happen with the old facility.

The total budget is financed through a roughly equal combination of provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, and additional borrowing. Administration says they are currently pursuing grant funding opportunities to offset the cost of the facility.

Design of the new Public Works facility in the City of Lacombe. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

The City says the budget comes after holding workshops with a value Review Committee, including third-party reviewers, members of council, and senior administration.

They say based on these workshops, they identified the vital elements of the facility while also finding avenues to reduce the cost. They add the result is a roughly 30,000 square foot building on a 9.1 acre site that will meet the needs of the City’s operations staff while also allowing for potential expansion to deliver new or changing functions in the future.

The approved budget includes a $91,929 new public art project allocation administered by the Lacombe Art Collection Committee.

Thompson said the facility will house between 50-80 staff members, depending on the season.

Due to potential fluctuations in inflation and supply availability, he added that the City is flexible with their completion date and will work with professionals to stay as on time as possible while remaining on budget.