There are some major upgrades coming to East Ferris’ Community Centre’s kitchen, a complete remodeling will soon be underway. East Ferris council granted the contract to Kenalex during its last meeting, for a total cost of $252,850 plus HST. The funds come from a Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation grant.
Kenalex responded to a request for proposals the municipality issued in early November, 2022. On the 17th of that month, a site visit was held for those interested in the project. Five organizations had representatives at that visit, and afterwards, the municipality released additional information to the request for proposals “addressing follow up questions” people had about the call, municipal staff explained.
At the deadline of December 16th, one submission was received, which was from Kenalex Construction. Work will begin soon and should be completed by April 30th, 2023.
As for the work, a quarter of a million translates into some serious culinary upgrades. All cabinets and countertops will be replaced with stainless steel to bring it to commercial standards. The space itself will be redesigned “to optimize flow and useability,” staff detailed, including adding an additional door so there are in and out doors to facilitate service.
Two portable pantry storage units will be added, and the walls will be tiled and commercial kitchen flooring will be installed. On top of that, all new appliances are coming, including a dishwasher, cooktop range, and two fridges—“all commercial kitchen quality.”
Grease traps? There will be two, and the room adjacent to the kitchen is also slated for new flooring, wall finishing and window coverings. Of course, the electrical and plumbing will also be upgraded to measure up to new appliances.
As for the NOHFC funding, these upgrades are part of a larger project the municipality received a grant for. That project included repairs to the arena’s roof trusses and upgrades to the lighting system, which was changed over to LED lights.
See: NOHFC funds lessen the sting of East Ferris project cost
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.