The Access Communications Centre arena is in need of roof upgrades. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Access Communications Centre arena

City facing skyrocketing roof repairs for arena

May 25, 2022 | 1:59 PM

The City of North Battleford plans to tackle much needed roof repairs at the Access Communications Centre, formerly known as the Civic Centre, despite costs coming in well above budget.

The issue was discussed at this week’s council meeting.

Fleet and maintenance manager Seton Winterholt said the portion of the roof covering the arena concession area needs to be replaced due to a number of leaks.

In his report, he said when RMIS Engineering consultants completed an assessment on the roof concession area in 2021 the firm identified the area in need of replacement.

“This work is a priority as there are active leaks into the kitchen and concession area that need to be eliminated before causing further damage to the interior fixtures and finishes,” Winterholt said.

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Administration suggested going with Clark Roofing Ltd. for the work, based on RMIS Engineering’s recommendation. Clark Roofing offered the lowest of four bids received and rated well in the scoring system for the evaluation.

Clark Roofing Ltd.’s total estimated cost of the project is $124,372 (PST included) with RMIS Engineering consulting services adding an additional $11,884, for a total cost of $136,257. The city budgeted $70,000 for the project, leaving a shortfall of $66,257.

“As we’ve seen in several other projects we’re working on this year in the current economic state,… the costing for that replacement came in substantially over what we had budgeted,” Winterholt said. “Even the consultant, what they had projected for a total cost, which is what our budget was based on, is substantially lower than the costs we’re looking at.”

He said the city originally budgeted for the project when the roof was being assessed, before high inflation and supply issues impacted the market, causing prices to soar.

“With the materials being scarce and shipping being very sporadic, it’s impacting prices in just about every sector,” Winterholt said. “This is probably one of the highest [sectors] that we are seeing price increases.”

Despite the challenges, the work is still a priority.

“The concern is if we don’t move forward with this project, that the North West Hockey Development [Association Inc.] may not be able to operate the concessions [area] for the upcoming ice season,” Winterholt said.

Administration suggested the amount over budget could be covered by the city’s unused gas tax funds to get the work done.

Council accepted administration’s recommendations.

Coun. Kelli Hawtin mentioned there is also water leaking in the upstairs lounge of the arena.

Winterholt pointed out this particular project is just focusing on the concessions area. He noted the upstairs lounge leak has been problematic for a number of years, and the city is working on the situation.

“There will be further projects presented to address that particular leak,” he said.

Mayor David Gillan said a challenge for the city is that it is getting less from the Municipal Revenue Sharing Grant program in the province now, while its costs for work keep increasing.

“Our projects are going nowhere but up,” he said. “They are interesting dynamics. How do we close the gap? It’s always the poor taxpayers.”

When asked by battlefordsNOW on whether the city has any long-term plans to replace the arena, the city declined to comment at this time. In 2017, during the previous council term, the city said it was working on plans to replace the aging arena in the future. In 2014, the city said the Civic Centre was identified as having about 10 years of useful life left. The city managed to extend that life by making upgrades, but noted at some point the building will need to be replaced.

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW