Nearly a year after bids came back way over budget for the South End Community Centre (SECC), city council will weigh its options for change that could see the paused plan become a reality.
It’s not yet known what those options will be.
“City staff are currently working in collaboration with the construction manager and the consultant to review the existing design of the South End Community Centre focusing on phasing, materials, scope and construction delivery options,” explained Ian Scott, the city’s manager of facilities design and construction, via email.
A report to council, along with recommendations, is expected to be presented to the committee of the whole on March 7. Any decision made that day will need to be ratified by council before it becomes official – something that typically happens at council’s end-of-month meeting, set for March 28.
The project was put on hold in April after the lowest of three bids for the SECC came in at $121 million. Council approved the plan in 2020 with an $80 million budget.
At that time, it was estimated 85 per cent of the project would be paid for through development charges.
That’s still the plan, Scott said, noting the impact of Bill 23 – the More Homes Built Faster Act, which reduces the fees municipalities can collect from developers to help cover the cost of growth-related infrastructure – isn’t known.
“Bill 23 may impact how the DC’s are collected to fund the SECC project,” Scott wrote, adding a new DC background study will be completed next year which looks into such things.
The 165,000-square-foot facility is to be built off Clair Road beside Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School, just north of the Larry Pearson baseball complex, and is currently set to include a 25-metre pool with eight lanes, two gyms, two ice pads, indoor walking track and five meeting rooms.
Construction was previously expected to begin in 2022, with opening anticipated in 2025.
However, the construction timeline now depends on what direction council decides to go with the project.
