Veiner Centre retaking shape
The Veiner Centre is starting to take shape, and with steel beams and columns now in place, construction surges ahead, says the city.
“We’re absolutely on schedule. We’re doing really, really well to tell you the truth,” said Scott Woodside, facilities project co-ordinator for the city. “We’ve pretty much got the structure up, they’re just putting the last few nuts and bolts in.”
Composite roof decking will soon be going over the beams, he explained.
The dry summer has meant virtually no down time as a result of inclement weather, and that has helped to keep progress strong on the construction site. Having a really good contractor has also played a big part, said Woodside.
“It won’t be long before you see us closing the building in, which is right on schedule,” said Woodside. “We wanted to make sure we got that done before the snow flies.”
The underground water line is complete and sanitary, storm, electrical and fibre underground are in progress. Gas line installation is still to begin, said Woodside. Foundations for a radon gas and sump pit will begin soon. The radon gas requirement is a new building code, a safety measure.
“Radon gas comes from underground and you put in a detector just to basically as a warning system in case anything does leak. It is not common in this area but is something we have to do now,” said Woodside.
Graham Construction is the contractor for the $9.67-million project, which will see 1,400 square metres of remediated space on the main floor of the existing building and the closure of the basement.
The Veiner Centre was badly damaged during the flood of 2013 and has been unusable since.
The entire $11.6-million budget for this transformation was approved by council in February 2016. This budget includes $1,325,770 for design/project management/testing and $400,000 for furnishings, fixtures and equipment.
The upgraded facility is expected to reopen in the summer of 2018.
The city has numerous photos you can view online.
https://www.medicinehat.ca /government/departments/seni or-services/newsletter/photogallery#ad-image-11