Memorial Centre floor repairs tab rises by $1.5M

A plan to repair the floor and replace the ice rink pad at the Memorial Centre may be carried out next year, even though the project will cost $1.5 million more than originally thought.

The project is now expected to cost $3.5 million instead of $2 million. Work could start on June 3, 2019 for completion by Nov. 1.

That completion date is not expected to inconvenience the Peterborough Petes, though: a city staff report states the team has confirmed it can start its home season after Nov. 1, 2019.

At a general committee meeting on Monday evening, councillors reviewed the proposal – but the discussion and vote took place too late for The Examiner’s print deadline.

Nonetheless, the plan was outlined in the new staff report – and the budget increases were explained, too.

When council planned to do the work in April 2017, the report states, the pricetag of $2 million was a “high level estimate” that served as a “placeholder” until more details could be gathered to determine the actual cost for work to be carried out in 2019.

The budget increase is due to factors such as an increase of between 6 per cent and 10 per cent in construction costs, for example (which adds $400,000 to the cost), plus a contingency ($500,000) and permit and abatement costs ($182,000).

More than a year ago, city staff noticed spalling and cracks in one area of the concrete foundation wall beneath the ice surface.

Council considered doing the repair work in the summer of 2018, but it would have displaced the Lakers lacrosse team in a year when they are eligible to host the Mann Cup.

Instead council voted to do the work in the summer of 2019.

The new city staff report states the work will take 22 weeks instead of 16 weeks, as originally planned.

That’s because the city wanted to hire a firm to work around the clock, in the summer of 2018, to expedite the project.

Now they won’t ask crews to work 24/7 – but it’s expected to take longer to get the project done.

Meanwhile the city hired a structural engineering firm from Toronto to monitor the cracks in the foundation wall for a year, from June 2017 to June 2018.

The city staff report states that

the cracks didn’t worsen in that time.

The repairs to the floor are being done as part of a series of construction projects being carried out at the Memorial Centre, including roof work.

Yet it’s unclear exactly how much longer the 62-year-old Memorial Centre will be in use: a consultant hired by the city has told council the building is “obsolete” and ought to be replaced by a new multi-purpose sport and entertainment centre.

Council hasn’t debated whether to build this type of new facility yet.

The consultant – Sierra Management of Toronto – is expected to offer a new report in September with details such as the cost of a new facility and potential locations in Peterborough.

NOTE: See update to this story online at www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com.