Guelph council approves additional $35.5 million to build South End Community Centre
Guelph is moving ahead with building a rec centre in the city’s south end despite the increased cost of construction.
At Tuesday’s meeting, councillors approved an additional $35.5 million for the project, bringing its total budgeted cost to $115.5 million.
The planned facility, which will be located off Clair Road beside Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School, will have two ice pads, an aquatic centre with an eight-lane lap pool and a smaller teaching pool, a double gymnasium, walking track and multi-purpose rooms.
The increased cost will be mostly funded from development charges, although staff acknowledged there is some uncertainty about how much the city will be able to collect from developers in the future, given major changes coming under Bill 23.
Still, council felt it was important to move ahead with the project, the concept for which has been in the works since 2003.
“This has been 20 years in the making,” Coun. Ken Yee Chew said at a committee of the whole meeting on March 7, where the increased costs were given preliminary approval. “I think we have to take a calculated risk as well with cashing in the development charges for this project, this is something the community has been expecting us to deliver for a long time.”
(Council agenda package/City of Guelph)
Construction was originally approved in 2020 with a budget of $80 million, but inflation pushed the cost to $129 million by the time tenders came back in 2022.
The city ended up cancelling the tender and revising the building design to bring the cost down to $115.5 million.
Cost-saving measures included removing a rear courtyard and some hallway space, simplifying the design of the exterior façade and pausing a plan to commission and install public art unless money is left in the budget at the end of the project.
The city says construction on the South End Community Centre is expected to begin this fall with doors opening in late 2026.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.