Huron-Kinloss accepts proposal for Ripley Complex renovations

Huron-Kinloss council has accepted the proposal of Domm Construction Ltd. of Ayton, in the amount of $135,000, plus HST, to complete renovations to the Ripley-Huron Community Centre.

At the council meeting last night (Jan. 15), treasurer Jodi MacArthur explained why this project was back on the council table.

She said that in June, 2016, the township applied to the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, for 50-per-cent funding to complete about $200,000 in renovations to the community centre. The project included plans to improve the functional office space, add storage, and create a barrier-free, ice-surface viewing area.

MacArthur said the township was notified in February that the project was not successful.

"We recently received a call from the Federal Economic Development Agency (FedDev), which is responsible for administration of this program," stated MacArthur, in her report. "There still may be an opportunity to receive the funds, if we can complete the project by March 31, 2018.

"Three contractors, with expertise in public building and arena renovations, expressed interest based on the request-for-proposals and project scope, in order to submit their proposal which included their hourly rates, profit margins and projected budget."

She said that of the three proposals received, one was unable to provide a complete budget estimate, but the hourly rates were comparable to the other proponents. Based on the lowest projected budget and lowest hourly rates, staff recommended accepting the proposal of Domm Construction Ltd. In the amount of $135,000 plus HST.

"There may be additional costs required for architectural and engineering services," said MacArthur. "We have a detailed quote from G.M. Diemert, which prepared the conceptual plans, and we intend to work closely with the contractor to determine which, if any, of Diemert’s services will be required."

If the 50-per-cent funding is received, the remainder (about $95,000), would be funded through a combination of reserve and the 2018 budget, said MacArthur.

She noted that if the funding does not materialize, the township will know well before it finalizes the 2018 budget.

"The biggest challenge will be getting delivery of the windows and doors," said community services director Mike Fair. 'We hope to have approval by next week so the items can be ordered and delivered by the end of February."

Council accepted the proposal of Domm Construction Ltd. for this project.