Contract awarded for Sunnidale Hall renovation

Work on accessibility improvements to the Sunnidale Corners Community Centre is expected to begin as early as April 3.

At its March 13 meeting, Clearview council voted to award a contract to Domm Construction Limited. The Domm bid, which came in at $890,800, was the lowest of four bids with other proposals ranging up to $1,277,000. The contract to be awarded will call for substantial performance of work on or before August 31, 2023 with the project ready for takeover by Sept. 15.

The original estimate for the project to make the hall compliant with the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) presented to council in 2022 was approximately $675,000. Terry Vachon, Director of Parks and Recreation noted that the township had anticipated a 13.3 per cent increase in costs based on the Building Construction Price Index, but even after that allowance the Domm bid is roughly $126,000 higher.

Council also approved an additional $54,000 for project management fees by R.J. Burnside Consultants and Allan Avis Architects.

During the public participation portion of the meeting, resident Bob Charlton urged council to put the brakes on improvements to the small halls until updated cost estimates are obtained and the public is given a chance to weigh in. Charlton noted that the original estimate for improvements to all six halls was $5,675,000. If the Sunnidale bid is any indication, the probable cost will be over $7,800,000 even without adjusting for further inflation with work to be completed over the next three years. Once borrowing costs are factored in, it is likely that the real cost will balloon to over $10,300,000 – an amount 82 per cent higher that the number given preliminary approval by the previous council.

Deputy Mayor Paul Van Staveren noted that every hall is important to the local community and that while the AODA improvements are a lot of money, compliance is not optional and the 2025 deadline is only three years away.

Mayor Doug Measures told council that the “Small Halls” are not profit-making machines, but definitely enrich the lives of residents.

Vachon says a recommendation for work at the Avening Community Centre should be before council at the March 27 meeting and that staff will be reporting on the next two halls slated for renovation in May or June.