Yellowknife, N.W.T. - Hay River is hoping to start construction of a new fire hall by the beginning of June, but the final budget of the project remains up in the air.

Fire chief Ross Potter said they are still working on prices for the fire hall.

"What we're working on now is finding places where we can realize some savings on the building and possibly come in at a little bit lower price than it's presently sitting at."

In January the town planned on spending between $4.7 and $5.7 million and Potter said there is also other funding from the territorial and federal governments.

He explained that one decision that has been made is the size of the hall.

"The fire hall is definitely going to be down to five bays wide, two deep. Six bays is just outside of the budget amounts we can handle."

Potter said they do need a new building to replace the current one because it's currently a safety risk for the fire fighters and equipment.

He added that the current hall no longer meets building or fire codes.

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