More details of the City of North Bay's scaled-back $59.5-million twin-pad arena project will be presented during a special committee meeting of North Bay City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
EllisDon Corporation, the project team will update the council on the design development progress; share preliminary designs; and confirm the schedule, functional program, and target budget alignment. EllisDon will also go over the project's key accomplishments to date. Furthermore, EllisDon is expected to provide an update on the "approximate timing for approval for the City to execute a change order for commencement of final design and construction work," according to CAO John Severino's report to North Bay City Council released in August.
In May, EllisDon was awarded a $2.6-million contract for project development services for the progressive design-build of the new North Bay Community and Recreation Centre, slated to be located adjacent to the Steve Omischl Sports Complex on Lakeshore Drive. EllisDon will also manage the construction phase if the project proceeds as planned.
A trident-shaped community and recreation centre project was shelved in August 2023 as bids to build ballooned to more than $70 million and the overall cost neared $80 million.
See related: City ready to go to market on new arena with $60M target
And: Council moves new arena to next step — costs estimated at $60M+
No precise figures have been released to date but a Class D Opinion of Probable Costs for the project has been completed, per the Severino report. The target project budget is listed as $59.5 million. As the project progresses, North Bay City Council will be briefed at key milestones, such as at 30 per cent and 60 per cent design completion "to ensure the project’s target budget, schedule, and functional program meet the objectives set out by Council." A change order to begin final design and construction will also require council approval.
In December 2023, council members learned a rebooted project would, according to consultants from Colliers Project Leaders, come with an estimated cost of at least $60 million. The plan is for the target budget to cover the design and construction of a new community and recreation centre.
The City of North Bay's financial department prepared a financing plan (see breakdown below) that "includes the $25.778 million in GICB funding from the Government of Canada, one-time dividends and funding from the Canada Community Building Fund, OLG revenues, PAYGO, Municipal Accommodation Tax, potential surplus from open and cancelled projects and Special Debt to finance the Project and inform the Target Budget to be included in the Project’s RFP for construction of the community and recreation centre."
Financial Plan
- 25,778,016 - GICB Program Funding
- 14,733,945 - Special Debt
- 9,420,792 - Canadian Community Building Fund (former Federal Gas Tax)
- 3,050,000 - Reserve - Completed Projects
- 2,942,351 - Capital Levy/Paygo Funding
- 2,074,896 - Reserve - Special Dividends
- 1,000,000 - Municipal Accommodation Tax
- 1,000,000 - Reserve - Casino Funding
- 60,000,000 - Total Funding
Severino's report notes the completion of several preliminary project milestones:
- detailed review of project background documents
- detailed geotechnical investigations
- established building siting for the project
The team has also developed building concepts including but not limited to:
- siting
- foundation type
- superstructure
- carbon requirements
- electrical requirements
Conceptual renderings have been created and EllisDon has identified a preferred siting, developed the preliminary project footprint and the building’s elevations, and developed the preliminary civil site concepts.
The arena update will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at North Bay City Hall.
