At a special council meeting on Wednesday,Elliot Lake council considered a report about the arena from Acting Public Works Director Bill Goulding. The report recommended to “sole source the continued provision of services to mitigate the potential for collapse of the Centennial Arena to Timber Restoration Services at an upset limit of $350,000 plus applicable taxes.”
Sole source procurement is consistent with the plan council has discussed at previous meetings.
Goulding informed the council, “We have completed the complete canvas of the structure. WRD finished that up a few weeks ago.” The term ‘canvas’ describes a complete detailed inspection.
“[WRD is] currently going through the data that they've collected to prepare a fulsome report that we'll present to council that gives a full status of what the condition of all the wood elements are in the building.”
Goulding described why some permanent repairs are planned instead of some of the shoring towers originally planned.
“Overall, there were two big changes that we took in approach, and they led to WRD providing a winter shoring design that deviated from their initial temporary shoring design. The initial temporary design specified 20 towers put in specific locations.”
“And as we were realizing that on-site, some of the locations that they prescribed are really challenging to get a shoring tower up in. They would interfere with the mechanicals for the ice rink itself.”
Goulding informed the council, “If we put the towers where they prescribed the initial design, we would be doing a lot of demolition that we'd eventually probably have an appetite to undo. So, in their winter shoring design that we're now in the process of realizing, they suggested adding some towers in some locations and foregoing those more challenging areas.
“It seems like it's more practical to make repairs to those trusses right now than go to the expense of trying to hold up those members and incurring the reconstruction cost to the interior finishes.”
“So, last night we received a quote from Timber Restoration Services, which is WRD's sister company.”
The estimated cost is $312,477 plus applicable taxes. It may vary depending on WRD’s specific design.
Goulding’s report reads, “As such, staff recommends using this estimate as a guide and setting an upset limit of $350,000 for this work.” The report details costs to date including this $350,000, at $764,513.
Councillor Charles Flintoff commented, “So, I remember in one of the reports, they had said they'll go along and look at certain situations, and sometimes it makes more sense to say, forget putting the tower, let's fix it permanently.”
Flintoff continued, “So, that being said, for the public out there, we're pretty much fairly confident this arena is going to be fixed. When can we tell the public? I can't see us doing a complete, ‘let's fix these beams’ and then say, ‘well, sorry, it's not going to work.’”
Goulding advised the council and public, “We've learned that this is an economically repairable facility.”
“It would be more convenient administratively if I had WRD's fulsome report to present in advance of this except we're moving quickly and they're still preparing that.”
“I offer the recommendation nonetheless, because all evidence to this point indicates that we've got a repairable wood structure that we can move forward with repairing. And I believe that's the most economical of the shortest timeline and most economical way to get a facility up and running,” Goulding said.
Flintoff: “Okay, I didn't want to make you say it 100%, but in my little opinion, I think that's good news. It looks like it's one more step to getting the arena reopened.”
Councillor Norman Mann said, “We have reliable information coming [from WRD] that it's 80% good as opposed to 80% bad, I believe is the number that he quoted, for examples sake.”
Mann continued, “I think we're all starting to, at least I am- as Councilor Flintoff said- I've wrapped my head around the fact that we are going to be repairing this structure. And everything we do to mitigate further damage is one step closer to reopening that facility.”
Councillor Luc Morrissette asked, “When is this work scheduled to be done? And when I drove by the arena the other day, I saw a lot of open siding from the outside. Will that create more damage inside the building or is that covered?”
Goulding advised this next step of mediation and repair will take four or five weeks. He expects the work to begin after the holiday. He also advised that he expects “we’ll be looking at a new siding solution.”
Councillor Rick Bull said, “I'd like to thank Mr. Goulding for the report and for all the time he has put into this and to the staff that are working at the arena."
"I think by going ahead with all these repairs that eventually we'll get that arena back open again, and people will be able to skate, and we'll play hockey and figure skate.” With a smile, Bull added, “And all will be well with the world.”
Goulding hopes to have “a letter in our hands to proceed with the project in earnest” at the end of January or the first week of February.
Council voted unanimously in favour of accepting the staff recommendation for the next phase of work.
