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6 Tuesday August 18 2015 POLITICS INFRASTRUCTURE WATER AND SEWER IMPROVEMENTS The Town has successfully completed a significant number of water and sewer im- provements this Summer with old valves replaced and sewer lines improved. Work will continue through August with addi- tional water system improvements fire hydrant replacements sidewalk repairs and drainage improvements. This work is the second year of the three year plan to ensure the longevity and security of our essential water and sewer systems. CENTENNIAL ARENA RENOVATIONS Centennial Arena is almost complete The contractor is on budget and on schedule and advises that they will be substantially complete by the end of September. That means we can start making ice and anticipate that well be open to the public by mid-October. Once we get closer to completion the Town will host public tours so that you know what to expect when skating season comes this fall. OPERATION NANOOK Operation Nanook is coming to Fort Smith Over100peoplewillbecomingtotownfrom the Armed Forces RCMP and the GNWT. Participants will begin arriving this week and staying until the end of August. They are here to help the Town of Fort Smith test our Emergency Plan by SIMULATING the protectionandevacuationofthetowndueto a forest fire threat. This is an EXCELLENT opportunity for the Town to be prepared in case the real thing ever happens and a great cooperative exercise between the Town GNWT Federal Government and ArmedForces.Activitieswillincludethefire abatement of an area of town a town-wide notification exercise a practice registration of volunteer residents and a Community Day to wrap it all up. Remember this is a SIMULATION so no need to worry. In fact you will have the opportunity to participate in the exercise if interested - more to come on that. Northwest Territories UNEXPECTED. UNFORGETTABLE. WHATS NEW IN FORT SMITH WWW.FORTSMITH.CA For more information please contact TOWN OF FORT SMITH P.O. Box 147 Fort Smith NT X0E 0P0 Canada Phone 867 872-8400 Fax 867 872-8401 townoffortsmithfortsmith.ca By MEAGAN WOHLBERG Local contractor C.A.B. Construction Ltd. landed the job of designing and building the new adult womens correctional facility in Fort Smith last week with a winning pro- posal amounting to just over 23.5 million. The new facility will have the capacity for 23 women and will be constructed on Mc- Dougal Rd. next to the existing River Ridge facility for male inmates. By building on the same site as the exist- ing centre for men we will be able to realize efciencies in food services utilities and ad- ministration Justice Minister David Ram- say said last week. The new building will replace the current facility a house that was built in 1962 retro- tted to become a group home and then con- verted into a jail in the early 1990s. According to Thebacha MLA and NWT Finance Minis- ter Michael Miltenberger a new facility had been on the capital plan for six or seven years. The building has seen its day he said. So its good that its out its good that its a local contractor and the design is going to put it right up there as a modern facility for ladies. So its good news. Last years Auditor General report on the state of corrections in the NWT noted there was a lack of sufcient space for medical clearance of inmates at the facility and in- mates were being housed in facilities with doors that dont lock. Critical deciencies identied in the re- port included non-compliance with National Building Code of Canada requirements for detention centres which include non-com- bustible construction re separations and a sprinkler system. The present facilitys layout also offers limited surveillance of inmates with no space to hold high-risk inmates re- quiring enhanced security. The current facility doesnt meet todays standards for a correctional facility said Sue Glowach a spokesperson for Justice. We do work-arounds on stuff to make sure that ev- eryones safe but it should be a cinderblock building and its time. Design on the new building is currently un- derway with construction expected to begin in the spring of 2016 and the facility nally scheduled to open in the spring of 2018. According to the department of Justice the designwillincludeprovisionsforinmatesspiri- tualneedsandspecialprogrammingareasalong with the appropriate security requirements. While the new building was originally priced out at 35 million the department said it scaled back plans for the complex after consulting on community needs. They re-did their numbers Miltenberger said. Initially I think they were looking at something like 40 beds and theyve checked with the latest sentencing and those type of things and their own past history to see that they would never need 40 beds. Glowach said the facility is being designed with the capacity to expand should it be re- quired in the future. Following the opening of the new facility the current structure will be decommissioned and no longer used for correctional purposes. C.A.B. Construction awarded contract to build new Fort Smith womens prison Originally constructed as a house in 1962 the building converted into the Fort Smith female correctional facility is due for decommission. PhotoMeaganWohlberg