Cold Lake, AB – An area of land down 69 Avenue has been busy as tree and brush clearing begins for the new Public Works Operations Centre.

“This new operations centre has been in the plans for a few years now,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “This year we’re finally going to see clearing and construction begin.”

Public Works has long been struggling with space constraints at its current location on 16 Street. Over the years as various departments within Public Works have expanded to meet the growing demand of infrastructure repairs, utility maintenance, waste removal, and the addition of Cold Lake Transit.

“The operations centre will be able to house everything in one place, including the Cold Lake Transit buses,” said Copeland. “We’ve had to build extensions on the current Public Works facility to try and fit everyone in, and there’s just not enough space anymore.”

The Public Works Operations Centre will also be in a more centralized location, meaning dispatching equipment will be faster to reach certain areas of the city than before, and located at the crossroads of a future arterial roadway system.

Included in the new facility will be an administration building, along with fleet maintenance and transit storage bays. The back of the facility will provide working bays for various departments including Roads, Utilities, Parks and Building Maintenance. The building is designed to accommodate current and future staff and equipment needs with options for expansion. In addition to the building, a storm water management facility will be constructed to manage the water runoff. 

Tree and brush removal continues to take place at the site. Residents may have noticed some smoke in the area as controlled burns are used to clear the underbrush.

To read more about the Public Works Operations Centre, or other current and upcoming capital projects, please visit www.coldlake.com/projects

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