The ongoing renovations to the Terrace and District Aquatic Centre just went up more than $100,000 to complete the entrance into the facility.
Carmen Didier, the city’s director of leisure services, approached council Oct. 11 and asked that up to $175,000 be allocated from the general surplus budget to expand the foyer portion between the two sets of doors walking into the centre.
This buffer area regulates the temperature and humidity from outside air to the inside, and while the plan was to keep the original vestibule of the building, it was pushed out to bring the levelling and sloping of the floor to code.
“We had other options but it would have meant stairs, it would have meant something that wasn’t quite as accessible,” said Didier.
The project itself costs $131, 093 to complete with a contingency budget of $10,487, $21, 237 for architect fees, and $12,183 for special arrangements, like building a separate entrance into the facility or having the prime contractor Viking Construction work weekends to complete the renovations.
READ MORE: Repairs to Terrace Aquatic Centre underway
“At the time the decision was made we thought we could include the vestibule project into the overall renewal project, however, we’ve lost some time and we want to make this a separate project,” said Didier.
Treating the vestibule as a separate renovation would allow the city to open up the facility while construction continues, Didier said. The project is expected to take between six to eight weeks to complete.
In terms of the regional district’s contribution to the project, Lori Greenlaw chief financial officer for the City of Terrace said RDKS could pull from the “significant” operational cost savings accrued from the facility’s eight-month delay. In April, the leisure services department reported a $250,000 surplus from the centre’s closure.
Jessica McCallum-Miller, the regional district director for the rural area surrounding Terrace, said the district would help fund the vestibule project because it would make the centre more accessible to all residents.
READ MORE: Pool opening further delayed
Didier said the delays to the project have not changed the $8.8 million contracted price, but that may change as work continues on the centre.
“There will likely be some increases. We’ve had to take out extra insurance because of the extension of the project, we’ve had to cover some labour costs, but that’s the project manager’s wages and whatnot,” Didier said, adding the increases were covered by the cost-savings associated from the centre’s closure.
And while the city is no closer to estimating an opening date, Didier said repairs to the lap pool tile works are underway and the centre is “very close” to being ready for inspection.
brittany@terracestandard.com
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