Tecumseh selects $54-million option for proposed sportsplex
The Town of Tecumseh has opted for the second-most costly option for its new multi-use sportsplex, choosing a $54-million version with a Fifa-size indoor soccer field.
The cost of construction and the facility’s square footage had increased since the preliminary estimate in 2016 of $24 million.
“It came to us as a bit of a sticker shock when we saw that,” Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti said Monday before a special council meeting on the designs and costs. “But every year you wait you know there’s going to be extra costs.”
Tecumseh council held a special meeting Monday to hear from CS&P Architects on updated designs, and from residents, including the Tecumseh Pickleball Association. A report to council by parks and recreation services director Paul Anthony presented four options:
The base design shown in January to council and the public has a $60.4-million price tag. Option A is $54 million and includes the same amenities inside but a different architectural look outside with less glass. Option B has less program space such as meeting rooms for $49.65 million. Option C doesn’t include a gym and would cost $42.65 million.
Council needed to pick an option so the town can apply for federal and provincial funding soon through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program which could provide 73 per cent of the cost. That would leave the town to pay 27 per cent of the cost through reserves, debt financing and a recommended $4-million fundraising campaign.
Bachetti said the glass in the base model provides a “wow factor” architecturally but it could be costly to maintain. He said the town would still get the same features inside in Option A but at a lower cost. That was the option council ultimately chose.
Reducing the meeting rooms or eliminating the gym could have hurt rental income, he said.
In January Tecumseh and the architects showed off the concept design for a 166,723-square-foot sportsplex that would include a Fifa-sized indoor soccer field, which would make the multi-use facility unlike any other this side of London. On top of the indoor turf which could also be used for baseball, the plans include a double gym, walking track, and a section in partnership with Hôtel-dieu Grace Healthcare for a cardio rehabilitation centre that would be built at the hospital’s cost.
There wasn’t a cost estimate in January. The cost had jumped since 2016 for a number of reasons, including enhancements like the double gym and an expanded parking lot that were not in the original estimate, and increased costs overall in a busy construction market, said Anthony’s report. Other factors included the increased cost of building materials and concrete work, steel tariffs, the exchange rate and inflation.
There are various multi-million dollar estimates in the report of how much the project connected to Tecumseh’s twin-pad arena would cost taxpayers based on which option is chosen and how much grant money is available.
Bachetti said there’s a lot of excitement over the facility and council can see what grants are available before proceeding.
The year-round regional facility could focus on attracting largescale events, the report said.