Orillia council has approved construction of a 110,000 sq. ft. recreation centre with three swimming pools, a double gymnasium and a fitness centre.
The project team includes architects MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller, which has designed other Ontario multi-use community recreation facilities, Blackwell Structural Engineers, mechanical-electrical engineers Smith + Andersen, and civil engineers EMC Group Ltd.
The city has issued RFP documents for general, mechanical and pool contractors, with an April 8 response deadline. (See below for links.)
“The Canadian dollar and the price of fuel or oil now; the competitiveness of the industry, all those things are going to play a factor,” Orillia Mayor Ray Merkley said in a published report. “So the project team is comfortable with where we are at the costing estimate this stage.”
Kent Guptill, director of facilities and special projects, said the project will be constructed on a former brownfield site.
“The soil conditions required the soils (to) be consolidated,” Guptill was quoted as saying. “Rammed aggregate pier foundations were deemed to be the best and most cost-effective (solution).”
The aquatic facility will accommodate both competitive swim meets and leisure activities. The two FIBA- (International Basketball Federation) sized gymnasiums will have more than 500 seats.
Ground breaking is scheduled for August and the project should be completed by the summer of 2018.
Orillia has posted RFP invitations due April 8, including:
- prequalifications of general contractors,
- prequalifications of mechanical contractors, and
- prequalifications of pool contractors