The contractors building our new station have now started to pack up and move off site. With the bitumen down and everything nearing completion there is no more major work. This week will see all the small jobs completed, hooks and brackets in place, paint touch ups and the final cleaning inside and out. Council is scheduled to be handed the keys on Friday 5th of June 2009, ooficially taking possesion of the building from the contractor. Once they have completed all there inspections and completed a few jobs they are required to do, it will then be handed to the Engadine Brigade to occupy. Wednesday 3rd June the final brackets & equipment to be mounted on walls was delivered to the site. With some members of the Brigade assisting the builder with locations of this equipment.  The new carpark has also had the lines and disabled access spaces painted in. The building is now secured with a state of the art alarm with infared sensors on all windows to detect movement, as well as motion sensors inside the building itself. We have come along way since the 19th October 2008 when work started on this Station.

Our station is now starting to enter the final stages of the build process. Work has been completed on the drainage around the building, and plumbing to the water storage tank. The carpark to the east of the building has been pegged out along with the new carpark at the front of the reserve. The fence that will seperate the station from the rest of the park has also been marked out on the ground The power pole has been installed and the building now has power to it. All of the interior walls have been built with the work shop area finished . Painters continue work inside the building, painting of parts around the outside has been started with Bollards and the steel posts either sides of the roller doors having undercoat on them. The conrete path has been laid outside of the public toilets.

Since our last update the work has progessed quickly. On Tuesday 14th April two Engadine members as well as representitives from Sutherland District Rural Fire Service & Sutherland council met with contractors on site. This meeting was to discuss equipment the Brigade required to be installed by professional contractors and the location of this equipment. It gave all parties a chance to go over powerpoint. data and lighting locations to ensure it  best suits the Brigades needs. After much consultation another meeting was scheduled for Thursday 16th April to meet with the electrical contractor. While we were in attendance work was in full swing on the storm water drainage for the front apron area,  pipes were laid to take water from the roof to the water tank at the rear, as well as the tilers completing work in wet areas of the building.

Discussions with the Brigades Captain and District staff regarding the sign for the front of the station and what would be incorporated onto the sign also took place.

Thursday 16th April Council District staff and Brigade members  finalised  the locations for power and data outlets, and also answered any questions the contractors had for the Brigade. It gave the Brigade and members of the district office a chance to workout the best way to hang the charges for Brigade vehicles when they are parked at station. The location of all final electrical works was completed with the location of the new powerpoints and data cables completed. The Brigade was given a time line for fitting out of the station and when equipment the Brigade has would be required to be installed, this included brackets to be hung on the wall, stoves air conditioners etc. This visit also gave the Brigade a great opportunity to take some measuremnts of cupboards and discuss what type of doors to have on cupboards.

This week painting of the inside and parts around the outside will be started, and a few extra powerpoints and data outlets are to be put in to meet the Brigades opreational needs. A contractor will install the outside unit for a weather station while aerials will be transferred from our old station to the new one over the coming weeks.

The completion date is only now about six weeks away if we get good weather with the Brigade moving in around middle of June 09.

Our new station continues to go ahead at a fast pace. The windows have been now fitted as well as all the vents in the vehicle bay area. The front main entrance door has been put into place. All the security lighting has been fitted and the flood lights at the front of the building above the large bay doors, electricians will hopefully be finished inside the station a couple of days after the easter break. This will leave power to be connected to the building from the street.

Plumbers have connected the building to the sewer and trenches have been dug to the water tank at the rear, after easter the buildings down pipes should be plumbed to the tank so rain water can fill the tank. Wet areas in the public toilet are now tiled and work continues on the wet areas within the station. On thursday 9th April the building was locked  for the first time.