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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 30 ,2 02 2 | 18 www.concretetrimmings.com CONCRETE FREE ESTIMATES 905-844-5518 1-888-944-5518 uality At Its Best! Call Fernando 1-888-944-5518 www 1-888-944-5518 • DRIVEWAYS • FRENCH CURBS • PATIOS • STEPS • WALKWAYS • GARAGE FLOORS ExposEd aggrEgatE (pebble) The building of the new North Park community centre, library and park is moving forward despite a $33-million price increase for the project. Council discussed the significant price hike dur- ing a meeting on Monday, June 20. The project, which has yet to break ground, was initially budgeted for about $73 million, but it is now looking at a total of about $106 million. The North Park devel- opment will be built at 3070 Neyagawa Blvd. and fea- ture an 18,354-square-foot library, a 25-metre lap pool, a warm water pool, a gym, a fitness centre, a three- lane indoor walking/run- ning track, multi-purpose rooms, four lit tennis courts, seven lit pickleball courts, four lit sand volley- ball courts and more. In a presentation to council the town's acting senior manager of opera- tions Brent Copeland blamed the cost increase on a number of factors. "The construction mar- ket continues to face a shortage of skilled labour, supply chain delay issues and continued upward pressure on the supply cost of materials," he said. "Select materials incur- ring significant cost in- creases since last year in- clude union labour, hard- ware, wood, steel, drywall and fuel. All new construc- tion projects are feeling these increases." Copeland went on to note town staff had been able to avoid project costs of more than $12 million through various initia- tives, including plans to utilize the existing infra- structure of Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. For example, Copeland said, re-using the existing Sixteen Mile exit stair at the north-east corner to house a new exit stair lead- ing from the second floor of the North Park Communi- ty Centre will save an esti- mated $160,000. It was also pointed out during the meeting that 95 per cent of the funding for the community centre, li- brary and park will come from development charges while the remainder will come from the town's cap- ital reserve. Regarding the addition- al $33 million required for the project it was noted about $15.6 million would come from Parks and Rec- reation development charges, $10 million would come from Parks and Rec- reation development charges debt, approxi- mately $5.8 million would come from library develop- ment charges and around $1.6 million would come from the town's capital re- serve. Ward 4 Councillor Peter Longo asked whether the project price was an esti- mate, or a figure arrived at through the project being put out to market and ten- der. David Dow of Diamond Schmitt Architects, which crafted the project's de- tailed design, said it was an estimate. When Longo asked if there was any hope of cap- ping the price Dow noted that he would be looking for alternatives and op- tions to control the costs. Ward 5 Councillor Jeff Knoll called on staff to make sure the facility would be serviced by pub- lic transit. He went on to say he was supportive of the project and is excited to see the community enjoy it once it is complete. "It's going to be a terrific facility," said Knoll. Ward 6 Councillor Nata- lia Lishchyna voiced con- cerns about cricket balls leaving the cricket pitch and injuring other park us- ers. Frank Leconte, the landscape architect for the project, said a significant buffer around the pitch is being considered. Ward 4 Councillor Allen Elgar said he was amazed by the energy-efficiency features planned for the fa- cility. Three features intended to bring the North Park Community Centre down to net-zero carbon and low energy use standard in- clude: a Geoexchange heat pump system, a solar pho- tovoltaic roof array and a system that will allow for the reclaiming of waste- heat from Sixteen Mile Sports Complex's refriger- ation plant. Council voted unani- mously to proceed with the project. Construction of the community centre and li- brary is expected to begin in the winter of 2022-23. The development of the surrounding park is sched- uled to start in July 2022. COMMUNITY CENTRE PROJECT MOVES AHEAD DESPITE $33M PRICE HIKE DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS An artist's concept of the Sixteen Mile Community Centre, which is scheduled to open in 2024. Town of Oakville illustration Find what you're looking for, in the location you want, for the price you want to pay! Catch a Great Deal! Browse our inventory of vehicles by Body Style, popular Makes and Models, Province, popular Cities or by Price. Whatever path you choose, you will find the right car, in the right location, for the right price! Right Choice{ }CarPlacePrice