Update on Construction at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre 

For Immediate Release
1/26/2010 
Contact: City of Brantford 
Phone: 519-759-4150 

The Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre renovation project continues to move along at a quick pace and the progress is exciting! Listed below are the changes to date:

  • Yellow rink is demolished.
  • Temporary parking is now open for use where the tennis courts were previously located and across the lane from that location as well.
  • The football field has been removed and efforts are being made to reuse the lighting from that field for the new field planned in the project.
  • Softball fields have been removed and will eventually become parking areas and a storm water management pond. Backstops and fencing from the ball diamonds were salvaged by Parks and Recreation and will be reused on the two diamonds at Branlyn School.
  • A number of trees were removed from the property and replanted elsewhere in the city.
    Construction on two of the four ice pads has begun - footings and foundations have been placed and poured.
  • Steel is arriving soon for the structure of two of the rinks, and framing will begin thereafter.
  • Design and drawings are being worked on as quickly as possible to keep up to the pace of construction in order to meet the required completion dates set out by the federal government.
  • Details of the pool drawings are being worked on; gutter systems, deck and pool tiles, ramps, ladders, diving boards, slides, etc. are being selected for the new pool, although construction of these features will not occur until after the arenas are open and operating.
  • Each arena will have 350 bleacher-style seats except the main 1000 seat arena, which will have individual seats.
  • Further changes and cuts will continue to be made to attempt to reach budget and scheduling challenges, and fund-raising will be explored for some of the features.

What happens next?

The rinks are under construction and completion of all four ice pads is now scheduled for February 2011. This will allow the Red and Blue rinks to continue operating without the risk of missing the fall ice requirements and will allow for summer ice to be available in 2010 for hockey schools, try-outs, etc. Design work continues for all other areas, and plans continue to be developed and updated daily. Please have a look at the project photo gallery to see pictures of the construction progress!

So what caused the budget to go over in this project??

There are a number of factors that contributed to the cost overrun:

  • The original application for the arena portion had a two-week time line and the application and conceptual design were developed in that short time period - meaning that many of the site-related conditions could not be explored prior to estimating the project cost. Once funding was received, the time lines again were very short for completing the design and starting construction, and did not allow for proper investigation into site challenges and their related costs.
  • The Highway 403 corridor is subject to significant considerations, including a 14-metre setback from the highway where construction is not allowed so that future widening of the highway can be protected. This caused some design and approval delays - and every delay costs money, as the final deadline for completion had to be met.
  • The Gretzky property is essentially a sand base that has a fairly significant grade difference from one end to the other; this requires additional work for the new building, and the property has to be levelled to that point to accommodate for storm water management. Storm water must be accommodated on site and the costs of a storm water pond were not considered in the application.
  • Due to the short time frame, the proposed square footage was underestimated in the proposed arena design that was submitted.
  • Lastly, the aggressive construction deadline is driving the cost up, as overtime is expected to meet completion dates. If the project is not completed on time, the Ministry controlling the project will not issue the funds to complete the project, i.e. the City's grant money will be reduced!

In order to meet the cost requirements without sacrificing the features proposed, Brantford City Council has increased funding to the project. The total project budget is now estimated at $54 million, with the City contributing the extra $5.6 million from three reserve funds: Contingency - $800,000; Casino Legacy - $ 600,000; and Council Priorities & 2009 Capital Clean up - $4,200,000. Funding in this way keeps the impact on taxpayers to a minimum, which was the goal of the Funding Options Committee.

The original project features in the design include four new arenas, a running/walking track surrounding the 1000 seat arena, expanded Sports Hall of Recognition, food service area, new 25 metre pool, therapy pool, gymnasium, dry-land training area, and new ground floor fitness centre. Other features include new tournament headquarters, expanded multipurpose space, sport offices, child-minding area, new offices for sports groups, and large common spaces and lobby areas. Every effort is being made to build an amazing new complex that will instill pride in Brantford and area residents and visitors to our community!