Work begins for rec centre

An excavator and bulldozer are at Victoria Park today to begin excavation work for Owen Sound’s $38-million recreation centre.
City officials say 3,000 dump truck loads of earth will need to be removed from the park and replaced with gravel and dirt.
The tender estimate for excavation work and placement of water and sewer lines is $630,000.
The rec centre project is five months behind schedule.

Work crews to start on rec centre Monday

City hall officials say Harold Sutherland Construction is expected to begin excavation work for Owen Sound’s regional recreation complex at Victoria Park starting this Monday.

The company will also install new water-sewer lines for the $38-million facility.

The project is five months behind schedule. Project planners had expected to break ground in November.

The estimate for excavation work is $661,000. The budget was $1.2 million. However, city manager Jim Harrold said Harold Sutherland’s cost estimate does not include work to dig the 25-metre pool. That will happen later.

The entire rec centre project is expected to be completed in autumn 2011.

COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTS PROJECT: Worth the risk

City council has reinforced its unanimous support for Owen Sound’s $38-million recreation centre project, even though the city’s cost to build the complex could more than triple an original estimate.
The revised $16.6 million projected cost to the city would force Owen Sound to increase what it raises through property taxes by 3.4%, according to a report by city manager Jim Harrold. It would take 17 years, at that rate, starting in 2012, to pay off a debenture for the city’s contribution.

Family Y ups pressure

The Owen Sound Family Y has boosted its contribution to the city’s regional recreation centre project to $1.35 million, partly as a means to pressure city council to unanimously approve proceeding with the project at a meeting this afternoon.
“The support of all council members is vital if the Family Y and its fundraising committee are to be successful in reaching the community fundraising goal of $5 million,” Family Y board chairwoman Evelyn Dean said during a press conference today.
The Family Y had committed $1 million to the project. The non-profit organization plans to take out a $1.35-million loan and pay it back over 20 years with operational revenue.

Emergency meeting tomorrow

City council will meet at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the next steps in the regional recreation centre project.

The city is expected to learn tomorrow whether or not the feds will extend a deadline for completion beyond March 31, 2011. After that, council will vote on a tender for excavation work at Victoria Park.

People showed up in droves last night to show support for the facility.

Community rallies for rec centre

A public meeting to discuss Owen Sound’s 2010 budget turned into a rally to show support for the behind-schedule regional recreation centre project.
About 300 people crowded into a room at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre Monday night for the meeting. Some carried shovels or signs with messages of support for the $38-million project.
“We’re just trying to let city council know that the recreation centre is something that needs to be brought to fruition,” said Owen Sound resident Donna Twining, who created pro-rec-centre placards taped to garden shovels.
The large show of support for the complex was due, in part, to comments made by Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners that the recreation centre will not likely be substantially completed by March 31, 2011, as required by the senior levels of government to ensure two-thirds funding. She told The Sun Times Friday that she would not support spending more than the $8.6 million in taxpayer money already committed by the city for the project.
Lovell Stanners told the crowd Monday night that the project is five to six months behind schedule, due to soil problems at Victoria Park.
The city has asked the provincial and federal governments to extend the deadline for “substantial completion.” Even though Infrastructure Canada and Ontario’s municipal affairs ministry told The Sun Times that no extensions will be granted, Lovell Stanners said the city is still hopeful it will happen. She said council expects an answer Wednesday.

Community shows rec centre support

Well, they came armed with shovels and signs of support for the $38-million regional recreation centre at last night’s public meeting. Most people in the crowd seemed in favour of a tax hike in the name of recreation.

I also noticed a bit of media bashing, I must say. For the record, The Sun Times called Infrastructure Canada and the province and received the same answer — no extensions will be approved for Building Canada projects. Sorry, we broke the bad news. But, this is from reliable, media sources in the correct government department. We don’t make this stuff up.

I also noticed some campaigning last night. Coun. Deb Haswell was the worst offender. Setting up to run for mayor? We know it’s an election year, but, come on.

Shovels at rec centre meeting?

I hear there is a campaign underway as we speak that is encouraging people to bring shovels with them to tonight’s budget public meeting at the Lumley-Bayshore to show support for Owen Sound’s rec centre project.

City hall sources say their e-mail has been “on fire” with letters of support for the facility.

The weekend activity is due to comments by Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners, printed in Saturday’s Sun Times, that she does not support spending more taxpayer money on the project.

The $38-million project is behind schedule and over budget. The Sun Times will be at tonight’s meeting.

Is the rec centre in trouble?

A Facebook page has been created to encourage people to attend tonight’s public meeting on Owen Sound’s budget to ensure the recreation centre goes ahead.

“If you want to save the Rec Centre this is the meeting. We need everyone who supports this project to be there OR the project will not go ahead. Spread the Word,” the page’s descriptor says.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Lumley-Bayshore with an open house. The public meeting starts at 7 p.m.

The rec centre project is over budget and months behind schedule.

No deadline extension: feds

Courtesy: http://www.owensound.ca

Infrastructure Canada tells The Sun Times that it won’t yank funding for Owen Sound’s multi-million-dollar regional recreation centre if the project isn’t finished by the March 31, 2011, deadline. However, the feds say it will only fund two-thirds of the cost of what is completed up to that date. Deadline extensions will not be granted, a government source says. Working on the full story for tomorrow’s paper.