Prince Albert city council set for vote on borrowing more money for construction of new aquatics and arenas complex
Prince Albert city council will vote next Monday whether to award the construction tender for the new Aquatics & Arenas Recreation Centre to a Saskatoon company for over $100 million, according to city documents.
When first proposed in 2019, the cost of the Aquatic and Arenas Recreation Centre was $60 million dollars. Today, the construction costs are estimated by a tender bidder at $105 million from Graham Construction.
Other bids on the project were PCL Construction at $113,495,000 and Wright Construction at $106,467,000.
In a special city council meeting on Wednesday, council voted in favour of increasing the budget for the building’s construction by $45 million dollars. The final price tag is $105,268,000 plus GST and PST to build the centre.
The Aquatic and Arenas Construction Tender Award report tabled to councilon Wednesday, cites inflation as the reason for increasing the cost of the building project.
It shows building costs increasing by 30 to 50 per cent since the project was tabled in 2019 with materials such as asphalt, increasing by 27 per cent.
The report states the city’s sports complex project team found 49 ways to reduce the cost of the project resulting in $6.67 million dollars reduction in costs.
The city secured $44 million dollars in government funding, including federal grants of $24 million and provincial funds of $19.9 million, for the project in 2019 and had planned to cover the rest of the cost by securing a loan for $16 million.
The city’s website states the city’s civic facilities reserve, funded annually by the capital projects taxation levy, will pay for the annual interest and principle payment.
“The capital projects levy collected in 2020 was $1.525 million,” the city’s website said.
In March, the tender package was sent to the three pre-qualified contractors for the project.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
Dozens of U.S. deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the U.S. over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.