Veiner Centre bid won’t be chosen for a bit
Contractor bids to undertake the transformation of the Veiner Centre were opened March 8 but it will likely be weeks before results are announced.
The eventual awarding of the contract, after due diligence, will go through the administrative committee and then on to council, said Mayor Ted Clugston in an emailed response to the News.
“Communication and announcement must follow standard process, including notification to the proponents,” said Clugston.
Prior to this stage of bidding, the city called for interested construction companies to submit a resume of their experience that related directly to specifics required to undertake the Veiner Centre $9.9-million construction contract. That process allowed the city to then focus on a straight forward tender process in the bids that closed March 8.
At the annual general meeting of the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee recently, Clugston said the two-step process was necessary to ensure the contractor was capable of the job and costs would not exceed the budget.
The Veiner Centre was severely damaged in the 2013 flood and the building has not been occupied since then.
In February 2016, council approved a budget of $11.6 million for repairing, renovating and expanding the building. The construction budget was $9,874,230, the design phase $1,315,770 and $400,000 for furnishing, fixtures and equipment. In August 2016, council unanimously approved a design and plan. The renovations will result in 1,418 square metres on the main floor with an expansion at both ends of the building for another 642 square metres.
Construction on the project is expected to begin this spring with a construction timeline of about 15 months. Completion could be the summer of 2018.