The finish line is in sight for some major construction projects in Airdrie, including phase three of Genesis Place and the Bert Church Theatre expansion.
Airdrie Corporate Properties Project Manager Chris Reason provided an update to City council on June 3 and outlined the status of five major projects that are ongoing.
As of May 1, 2013, Genesis Place phase three was at 85 per cent completion and construction is scheduled to be completed on July 15 of this year. The site’s projected occupancy date is Aug. 1, with opening date slated for Aug. 19.
Phase three at Genesis place is the last phase for the city’s major recreation facility and involves the construction of two ice rinks.
The majority of the structural work for both the north and south rink at Genesis Place is complete and the finishing touches such as security systems, fire alarms, and ice surface work are all underway.
“The east and south parking lots are both complete and the north drive aisle and west tie-in are both underway,” said Reason. “We’re also contemplating a second lift of asphalt toward the west parking and the south parking that we just finished last year.”
Arena dasher boards have been fabricated and are scheduled for installation on June 17. Reason ensures that administration has been working with user groups to make certain the ice surfaces will be ready for bookings for the fall season.
The approved budget for Genesis Place phase three was $20.2 million; as of May 1, actual costs were $15.2 million with projected remaining costs of $5 million bringing total costs in on budget, according to Reason.
Recent weather has been a bit of an issue and there have been some concerns with regards to completing exterior work.
“Rain could start to be a bit of a concern, we’ve had a lot of rain in the past few days,” said Reason. “Completing our current paving at the north entrance while maintaining a functioning intersection is also a concern for us.”
Just down the street from Genesis Place, expansion work on Bert Church Theatre has also been running according to schedule and on budget, Reason reported.
The expansion will include a new entrance way, box office, multipurpose room, intermissions area, green room, offices and a refreshments area.
Construction is due to be complete by Sept. 1 with occupancy set for the same day.
As with any construction project, unforeseen circumstances can push back completion dates, but Reason assured council construction will not interfere with theatre use, should the expansion project run long.
“Construction will not affect use of the theatre with their regularly scheduled events,” said Reason. “In other words, those events will not be altered if the project does run past the Sept. 1 date, we’ll keep construction totally segregated.”
Design and construction of the expansion was budgeted at $3.6 million and as of May 1 actual costs were $573,291. Committed and projected costs for the remainder of the project are $3 million for a total project cost of $3.6 million
Three other major project on the go include, 23 East Lake Hill, which will be home to the City’s parks and public works department and is a facility that will include a vehicle storage bay and offices.
The second floor fit-up at the new RCMP building will house Southern Alberta RCMP; the project’s estimated budget is $2.5 million is expected to get underway in July of this year.
Preparation work for the Alberta 2014 Summer Games continues with the expansion and completion of the Athletic Park behind Genesis Place. Assignments on tap at the park include the expansion of the 100-metre sprint staging area, expanding the southwest side of the park for a high jump area, as well as constructing a press box and throw areas for discuss, javelin and shot put.
The project is scheduled to start this month and be completed by September of this year at a cost of $696,300.
