In June last year, the federal and provincial governments put in $4.6 million combined for the new town hall project on the condition that the money be spent by March 2011.
Director of Building and Planning, David Finbow, presented an update to council saying the extra digging and soil removal to clean up the contamination has cost about $505,000. Contractors had to remove 16,000 cubic meters of contaminated material from the ground.
Finbow attributes the extreme depth and spread of contamination to an abandoned cribbed well that acted as a conduit to bring contaminates through an impermeable layer and into the water underground.
The town did review a 1990 environmental site assessment, phase 2 and a phase 3 in 2003 prior to purchasing the site, but found no evidence to suggest site clean up would be so extensive.
To remove the 16,000 cubic metres of material cost $225,000. An additional $160,000 was paid to environmental consultants and $120,000 was paid for testing, fill and compaction on site.
In total, removal of soils and environmental consulting is $125,000 over the $260,000 allocated in original budgets.
Finbow's report states that the estimated cost of construction, $5.6 million, is still on target.
To date, work completed on the town hall project - a project budgeted at $8.4 million - includes demolition of the former Diane's Attic, demolition of the former gas station, removal of pumps and related lines, removal of underground storage tanks and extensive soil removal.
The town has also retained Chamberlain Architect services for design of the town hall, site supervision and general labour. Elevations, floor plans and schematics are completed and the town has hired Enermodal Engineering for energy efficiency design. Because of this contract and efforts by the engineers, Finbow told council that it was possible the new town hall building would achieve Gold standard Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design (LEED) designation instead of the original Silver designation being pursued.
Finbow said the project should be in the permit submission stage by the second week of February, and will follow the designs presented to council in July 2009.
The building will be 26,981 square feet with a 7,857 square foot basement, about the same on the second floor and more than 11,000 square feet on the first floor.
Finbow estimates the construction will take 10 to 12 months with an eight to 10 week lead-time for delivery of materials. He expects that the construction would start no later than March 31, 2010.
At the last meeting of council, January 25, council approved hiring Chamberlain as the site supervisors. Finbow said Chamberlain assured him the construction would meet the March 2011 deadline.
