ROCKWOOD – The pavilion at Rockmosa Park will no longer be getting an upgrade this year after pricing came in at nearly double what was budgeted.
In May, council approved a $1-million pavilion project that was to include the removal and replacement of the public washroom facility at Rockmosa Park.
The application was to include a new fully accessible, gender-neutral public bathroom with an adjoining pavilion area.
The new building was proposed to be a year-round, fully accessible, insulated and climate-controlled facility.
“The project that we were moving forward with, the tender price came in almost double our budgeted amount,” parks and recreation director Robin Milne told the Advertiser.
“So unfortunately, that project will not happen this year.”
The demolition was slated for Aug. 2 following the long weekend, with construction of the pavilion to begin Aug. 8.
However, with the supply chain issues, labour shortages and material prices, Milne said the project pricing was not in line with the design that had initially been budgeted for.
While the project was supposed to come in at $1 million, he said once the tender closing date came around, the low bid was just shy of $1.8 million.
Milne added that didn’t take into account design, engineering and demolition costs, which he estimated to be roughly another $100,000.
“So the project being almost $900,000 over, at this point in this economic climate, I just don’t feel like we would be getting value for money spent on that building,” he explained.
“It’s just, it’s one of those things that I think the timing just wasn’t great for us.”
As part of the project, the township was set to only be on the hook for 25 per cent of the cost, should it be completed by the end of the year – one of the contingencies outlined in the federal government’s Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF).
Seventy-five per cent ($750,000) of the project was to be funded by the CCRF with the remaining 25% ($250,000) covered by the township.
Milne said the township is currently in discussions with the government to determine other options but is still waiting on more information.
The parks and recreation director previously told council the existing building does not meet current accessibility guidelines and is showing its age with cracking in the structural block of the building walls, which has created ongoing maintenance and safety concerns.
With the state of the pavilion, Milne said the project still needs to happen but it’s just a matter of determining when.
“We’ll wait until things settle down in the economy … and we can just get better pricing and everybody can protect the bottom line,” he explained.
A formal report will be presented to council in August.
