THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay’s recently approved multi-use indoor turf facility faces delays to early project targets, city council heard Monday night.
The city announced it would have to push back milestones for completion of construction documents and the tender process in a report from director of asset management Gerry Broere.
“There has been some slippage in the dates,” the report states. “This slippage is a result of Administrative process, internal review process, and Stantec’s productivity.”
“Slippage is not unusual in a project of this magnitude and was factored into previous reports suggesting a fallearly winter 2022 completion date of the facility,” the report goes on to reassure councillors.
Updated milestones for the sports complex see completion of construction documents delayed from September to November of this year, with the tender for the construction contract to be advertised by late November, closed by late December or early January, and awarded by February.
That would put the project on track to begin construction in May of 2021, with anticipated completion in September or October of 2022, the city says.
“As with any project spanning multiple years the opportunity for future delays exist,” the report cautioned.
Coun. Brian Hamilton suggested the delay could afford council the ability to reconsider its narrow, hard-fought decision to approve the facility, asking what the “last off-ramp” would be to reverse or postpone it while avoiding legal and financial implications.
“It would have to be a pretty major issue to withdraw after you’ve issued the tender,” said general manager of community services Kelly Robertson. “You have to go to the market in good faith.”
Coun. Andrew Foulds worried that discussion was veering too close to confidential information disclosed in a closed session meeting, though Coun. Mark Bentz, who was chairing the meeting, said it hadn’t crossed the line.
Robertson cited the impact of COVID-19, particularly on engineering contractor Stantec, in explaining the delays.
