It's construction season and the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury has many projects on the go.
One of the most anticipated is the development of the new community hub at 177 Church St.
Bradford West Gwillimbury awarded the tender to Domm Construction of Ayton, who was the contractor for the new fire hall on Melbourne Drive.
Last June, council authorized staff to go to tender with a budget of $6.7 million. Domm’s bid, which staff called “the strongest proposal with the lowest price,” came in at $8,538,172, including HST. That price excludes previously committed funds for engineering, architecture and permits, as well as the 20 per cent contingency for the project.
The additional construction costs will translate to more money being required from the tax levy. The original estimate included net expenditures in the neighbourhood of $720,000, equating to a 3.2 per cent increase. With the tendered amount, those expenditures increase to almost $870,000, or a 3.87 per cent jump in taxes.
Over at Lions Park, new basketball courts are currently being installed which will double as ice rinks in the winter, as well, landscaping, benches, and accessibility measures are being added at a cost of around $550,000.
Taylor Park construction is being done in two phases. Phase 1 includes the addition of tennis courts at approximately $400,000. Phase 2 includes playground, landscaping, and other amenities, contingent on a federal grant, at approximately $340,000.
The following streets will be getting repaved this summer: Orsi, Evans, and Patrician at a cost of $670,000, while Centre, William, Edwards, Back, and Bingham are being carried over from last year's urban roads project of $2.21 million. The project was delayed due to supply chain issues with underground infrastructure.
Road resurfacing along Line 8 from Sideroad 5 to Highway 27 will cost approximately $310,000.
"When I was first elected less than two years ago, I promised to revitalize the east end of Bradford. We’ve made significant progress since then. Over fourteen streets will have been re-paved across the ward and we are adding great new amenities to Lions Park and Taylor Park to significantly improve those two community areas," said Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott.
All projects, with the exception of the Community Hub are set to be complete by fall 2022.
The Community Hub project is to be complete by spring 2023.
-with files from Patrick Bales
Editor's Note: The tax levy estimate for the community hub includes the costs if council fully staffs the building with three new positions.
