Dundas arena renovation, expansion tentatively scheduled for summer start

Hamilton city staff are now working to meet conditions of site plan approval for the long-awaited renovation and expansion of J.L. Grightmire Arena in hopes of having the project tendered and a building permit in hand by the middle of May.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to start this summer — at least five years after the first plans were drawn up.

Rom D’Angelo, the city’s director of facility management and capital programs, called the timeline “optimistic,” but said it’s a pretty strict schedule.

“We cannot deviate from these dates too much if we intend to meet substantial completion by September 2018, in time for the 2018-19 hockey season,” D’Angelo said.

Staff from various departments met to review comments and issues with the detailed site plan application.

D’Angelo was not at the meeting but said there is a list of items staff has to go through during the formal site plan review process, which is overseen by consultant Bob Prince, of Invisj Architects.

Prince said he’d rather not comment on details of the site plan review, preferring to leave that up to the city itself.

D’Angelo said one significant part of the site plan review, which is expected to continue until mid-April, is the Hamilton Conservation Authority’s flood-proofing requirements.

The conservation authority and city agreed to allow “active” flood control — waterproof doors — rather than “passive” flood control, which would have required raising the elevation of existing and new doors.

D’Angelo said staff is also reviewing any possible effects on neighbouring facilities, including the Garstin Centre for the Arts and the Dundas Community Pool.

He said when the contract is awarded in mid-May, the successful contractor will prepare a detailed construction management plan.