Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Orillia Recreation Centre, a project that began site preparation work in 2016, is expected to finally open in early 2020.
It’s a long-awaited and much-debated project that features three pools, gyms, a track and multi-purpose rooms. The $55 million price tag makes the recreation centre the largest construction project in Orillia’s history and contractor Atlas expects it to be complete in January.
Councillors received a monthly progress update last week.
Milestones expected in the next few weeks include:
- Pool tiling and installation of the movable floor in the main pool;
- Pool deck tiling will have commenced;
- Main level change room floor tiling will have commenced;
- Telephone and data cable installation will be complete;
- Exterior wood soffit installation will be complete;
- Pool change room floor tiling will have commenced;
- All lighting and electrical circuitry will be complete;
- All drywall and painting of interior walls will be complete;
- The gymnasium plywood and wood floor installation will have commenced:
- Running track surface membrane will be installed;
- Overhead lighting in the gym will be complete along with basketball nets installed;
- Gym partition installation will be complete;
- “Orillia” sign installation at the east entrance will be complete;
- Removal of window clips and weather proofing/caulking of all windows will be complete;
- Pavers will have been installed at Main (east entrance) and
- Installation of the main stairs in the south-west part of the building will be complete
Meanwhile, an electronic sign was installed outside, the parking lot is paved and grading continues. Landscaping, site seeding and the final layer of asphalt for the parking lot will happen in the spring.
When the tender was awarded to The Atlas Corporation, the price of the project was $48.5 million, but it has increased to approximately $55.5 million.
To date, 247 change orders have been approved; those include both credits for removal of work and additions for work not specified in the tender documentation.
According to the report to council, the current value of all 247 approved change orders is $2.9 million.