LANCASTER, Ontario – South Glengarry Council approved the construction of a new community building in Smithfield Park.
The Township awarded the contract to Bradford M. Hubbard Construction Inc. at their Feb. 18 meeting for a total price of $233,440.
The building will be 720 sq. ft. with a capacity of 39 people.
This is the second time that the Township put out a tender for the construction of this project. The previous tender was rejected out of concerns over high costs.
READ MORE: SG Council delays Smithfield Park building over high costs
In September 2019, Council rejected a bid to build the project because it was $100,000 higher than what the township had budgeted.
The Township broke down the project into two tenders in the second go-around, one for the building, and one for surfacing the splashpad and connecting the building to water and sewer.
“Again, the prices were somewhat higher than what we were expecting,” said Township General Manager of Infrastructure Services Ewen MacDonald, who acknowledged that the cost was still within engineer estimates. “We have reviewed for accuracy and completeness and they are compliant. I’ve also reviewed tenders for similar sized projects, and the costs are in line with those. We’ve gone to the market twice, with essentially the same results.”
MacDonald explained that the bidder had been asked to provide options to save further costs, such as using drywall instead of plastic sheeting, or putting in a shingle roof. MacDonald recommended rejecting those measures.
“We do not recommend the cost saving items because they would provide a lower quality material,” he said. “In the past I know that council has always deferred to the higher quality materials to preserve the life cycle.”
The gallery at Monday night’s meeting was filled with Lancaster residents who supported the construction of the new building, councillors acknowledged that the residents of Lancaster had waited long enough for this building.
“I was one of the ones who was against this and I still have issues with the price tag. We’ve done our due diligence. I think it is time for us to move on with this project,” said Councillor Martin Lang.
The construction of the new building is expected to begin sometime in May.
Council awarded the contract to connect the building to water and sewer and pave the site to Malyon Construction for a cost of $141,029.
