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Major improvements to Jasper Activity Centre are still to go ahead this year.
The arena and curling rink are set to get new slabs, the ice will have new boards, and a new ice plant will be installed away from the entrance to the building.
This week, Jasper Municipal Council awarded a $2.1 million contract to Prologic Construction Ltd to replace the curling slab, arena slab and boards at the activity centre.
The bid along with project management fees from WSP, and a $313,000 contingency took the budget over by $575,000 of the original budget to $2.7 million.
This summer, the curling slab and arena slab and boards will be demolished and replaced ready for the fall.
And a new building will be set up on the corner of Bonhomme and Pyramid Lake Road ready for a new ice plant to be installed there next spring.
Gordon Hutton, buildings and assets manager for the municipality, said: 鈥淭he removal of two concrete slabs is going to be a very disruptive process and I can鈥檛 think of a better time to do it than having a closed activity centre.鈥�
The improvement project is mostly being paid for by a loan that was taken out by the municipality for this purpose in January. Starting this project now, as planned, has no impact on the town鈥檚 2021 budget but could affect repayments in 2022.
If council delayed the project to next year the costing could change considerably and a $300,000 donation for the curling slab replacement could be lost.
鈥淲e made the decision in January and have to have some commitment to go ahead and finish this project,鈥� said councillor Scott Wilson.
鈥淲e are taking an opportunity in a crisis. This is the best time to do some substantial construction and I think we should go for it.鈥�
But councillors Bert Journault and Jenna McGrath did not agree.
Journault said: 鈥淲e wanted to do this in January but things have changed and costs have overrun. It鈥檚 a big thing for me.鈥�
McGrath suggested trying to make it through one more season with the current infrastructure.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 financially responsible to vote in favour of this in the midst of a global pandemic,鈥� she said.
Council voted to go ahead with the project. Journault and McGrath were opposed.
