Cambridge council approves another step in recreation complex project
Cambridge is one step closer to building its long-awaited multiplex.
City council gave its approval Tuesday to continue the design development process for the Cambridge Recreation Complex and Idea Exchange library.
The city said it will be one of two buildings on a 32.5 acre plot of land, near the intersection of Dundas Street South and Branchton Road, in the south end of the city.
"All of council and our city is really excited to bring this project forward and finally get the sports facilities and updated facilities that the city's been asking for," said Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry.
According to officials, the 125,000 square foot net-zero cabron design facility will be the biggest construction project the city has ever undertaken.
In a media release, the city said it "plans to issue an RFQ (Request for Quotation) as soon as possible to procure design architects who will complete two concepts of graduated value and undertake public consultation."
Council will then need to approve the design and budget.
MORE: The long road to Southpoint: Looking back at five years of planning the Cambridge multiplex
According to the city's website, the recreation complex will include a swimming and leisure pool, gyms, running track, multi-purpose rooms, and a branch of IDEA Exchange/Cambridge Public Library.
A childcare facility, a public and Catholic elementary schools are also in the plans, as is a new residential development called Southpoint. It will include 300 single homes, townhouses and apartment buildings.
"This is an essential space that will serve as a true community hub, where people can connect, learn and grow," said McGarry in the media release. "It's about wellbeing and building an overall sense of community. This is an incredible partnership and investing in spaces like this are key to building a thriving, healthy and prosperous city for all."
The city said construction costs have gone up due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and world events. They added these continue to pose a problem for large projects, like the Cambridge recreation complex.
The initial cost was projected at $66 million, but has jumped to $101 million.
A smaller $84 million option with a smaller pool an no running track will also be considered, while a cheaper $71 million plan was a non-starter for council.
"We certainly flew that last one out," said McGarry. "It certainly wasn't going to meet the community's needs in terms of the number of gyms that was needed, the walking track and some of the ammenity space that the community told us that they wanted."
To pay for the project, McGarry adds that the city will lobby upper levels of governments for grants and will also be looking at development charges and issuing debts to foot the bill.
The city hopes to have an architect on board by mid-July and present detailed designs for the complex by early 2023.
Construction is expected to be complete by 2025.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.