Lion's Head Arena (Photo from Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula website)
Northern Bruce Peninsula council is going to consider directing moving ahead with a construction management method for the design and construction of the Lion’s Head Arena Project this week.
In a meeting set for Feb. 13, council will be receiving a report from CAO Peggy Van Mierlo-West. It recommends directing architecture firm Salton Pilon to move ahead with the construction management method, as well as capping the project at $10 million.
Construction management oversees the planning, design, and construction of the project, including the scope, timeline and cost.
In 2012, the report says plans were prepared for the renovation of the arena, and in 2020, the municipality was successful in securing grant funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Several renovations are planned at the arena and community centre, including creating six new dressing rooms accessible to the arena floor level, creating a new multi-purpose room suitable for community presentation and gatherings, creating a new branch library space for the Bruce County Library system, and renovating the existing washrooms/building new washrooms to improve the accessibility for people with disabilities.
In January 2022, focus groups were held for community feedback for the project, and through these groups, it was proposed the project include a gym area instead of a fitness room, a new location for the friendship club, meeting space, relocation of the zamboni room, expanded parking, and outdoor walking track.
Salter Pilon was awarded an architectural consulting services tender later in September, 2022 for close to $1.2 million. The firm has been involved in a number of municipal projects including fire halls, courthouses, regional offices, and police stations.
The report says the management team has met with Salter Pilon to discuss the project, and the firm has provided the municipality with a Design Bid Build method which could possibly cap construction costs and reduce construction timelines up to four months from the current expected completion date of mid 2025.
Council deferred this project during its 2023 capital budget meeting, requesting additional information surrounding how it would affect the budget.
The municipality currently has over $4.9 million set aside for this project, including contributions from its capital reserve, as well as provincial and federal funding.
“Based upon preliminary review and construction costs it is estimated that the cost of this project will be approximately $10 million, requiring the municipality to fund $5,060,454.40 for this project. It is anticipated that this portion of the project will be funded through a loan from Infrastructure Ontario or a bank. Based on current interest rates and a 20-year amortization period, it is estimated that this project will have an annual impact of approximately $300,000 on the operating budget,” says the report.
Staff are recommending using the revenue from current municipal programs to help mitigate the effect of borrowing on the tax rate.
Council will be reviewing this report during its meeting on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.