Backgrounder
BG–07.011 - April 4, 2007
BACKGROUND
Due to its strategic location and its largely ice-free deep harbour, the city of St. John's was selected during the early 1940s by American military planners to house Fort Pepperrell, an American military base with 65 buildings.
Upon the closure of the American base in 1960, the Pleasantville property was
transferred to the federal and provincial governments. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) took ownership of the federal portion of the site. In 1967, the local Canadian Forces units were transferred to several PWGSC-owned facilities at the site and Canadian Forces Station (CFS) St. John's was established.
PWSGC began the strategic disposal of the Pleasantville realty holdings in 2003 and
finalized the sale of most of its Pleasantville priority holding to Canada Lands Company (CLC) in January 2006. The Station, several military units and support agencies are now tenants of this Crown Corporation.
The deteriorated, dysfunctional and widely dispersed nature of the current facilities at CFS St. John's have, for some time, significantly constrained the efficiency and effectiveness of military operations at the Station. As a result, the Department of National Defence (DND) plans to consolidate CFS St. John's and several military units in a new facility at Pleasantville.
CONSOLIDATING OUR MILITARY PRESENCE
Aware of the Department's need to consolidate the Station and several military units into
a facility tailored to their operations, CLC has reserved approximately 6.7 hectares of land, known as "200 Compound," for DND.
There are a number of reasons why the Department is consolidating its operations. The facilities that accommodate Canadian Forces Station St. John's and a number of other units are nearing the end of their useful lives. The bulk of the facilities were constructed 60 years ago and are becoming increasingly costly to maintain. In addition, the Station and units are widely dispersed across land that is over three times larger than the assessed requirement. Finally, DND is leasing these facilities from the Canada Lands Corporation and is required to vacate them by January 2013.
Constructing a modern complex to house CFS St. John's will enable the Department of National Defence to consolidate several lodger units and streamline operations while ensuring greater efficiency in serving Canadians and the City of St. John's. This $101 million investment by the Government of Canada will enable the Canadian Forces to consolidate these units in a modern, facility that will better support operations both in Canada and abroad.
There are currently 16 buildings (using a total gross area of 25,451 meters squared) at CFS St. John's and they are widely dispersed over 25.5 hectares of land. A comprehensive analysis concluded that a new facility would need to include approximately 22,190 meters squared of office and light industrial interior space, and would require a site with a minimum size of approximately 6.7 hectares. However, a firmer estimate of the size of the new facility will be known when definition studies have been completed. At this point in time, what is known is that the Station requires approximately 19 fewer hectares of land than the current property arrangement.
There are a total of 711 people working at the current Pleasantville site in a number of lodger units. There are approximately 225 regular Canadian Force, 57 civilians employees and approximately 485 Reservists.
CFS St. John's and the following reserve/cadet units will all operate out of the new consolidated facility:
37 Canadian Brigade Group Detachment St. John's
1st Battalion Royal Newfoundland Regiment
1st Battalion Royal Newfoundland Regiment Band
36 Service Battalion
56 Field Engineering Squadron
Air Reserve Flight Torbay
728 Communications Squadron
Reserve Medical Detachment
5 Cadet Corps – 4 Air and 1 Army
THE WAY FORWARD
In the coming months, the Department of National Defence and Defence Construction Canada will develop an open, fair and transparent competitive process in order to initiate the construction of the new facility. This $101 million initiative represents an exciting opportunity for local businesses to compete for and win government construction contracts.
The intention is to commence construction as early as 2008 so that the facility will be ready for occupancy no later than November 2012. This deadline is driven by the fact that the Department is required to vacate its current location in Pleasantville by January 2013.
The Pleasantville site holds a special place in Canadian military history. The property was used as a training ground for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during Word War I, and the station itself has been operating there for more than 40 years. There is a significant strategic and operational value in maintaining this military presence; to remove it from its current location would have a considerable impact on morale and retention of personnel.
The image below represents the existing Pleasantville location bordered in black. The new location of the consolidation, "200 Compound," is encircled in red.
