PORT HARDY, B.C. – Construction of the proposed Port Hardy Multiplex is in limbo.
Mayor Dennis Dugas noted in an information release that “the tenders for this project were more than 40 percent higher than anticipated and this has caused Council to pause and re-evaluate the project.”
“Council remains committed to this project and will continue to pursue ways to improve recreation for the North Island,” Dugas said. “Additional funding will be sought to ensure that this project remains viable to the District of Port Hardy.”
The district recently completed the tendering phase for the construction of the multiplex, which includes a new aquatic centre that will house a three-lane pool, lazy river, children’s play area, leisure pool, hot tub, sauna, and mezzanine with a project budget of $12.6 million.
In the release, Dugas said that the district has been working to make this project a reality since 2015, “listening to the public and creating a design with HRD/CEI Architects and Unitech Project Managers that will benefit Port Hardy and the North Island now and in the future.”
Dugas told the MyTripPortNow.com newsroom that, because the tenders came in higher than expected, the district will be applying for grants from the federal and provincial governments.
“They’ve got grants out for infrastructure and different projects similar to what we’re going to be doing, so at this particular time we’re going to be putting an application in for both grants,” Dugas said. “The deadline for that is January 23rd of 2019 and hopefully we’ll hear if we get approved or not from our grant application in the fall of 2019.”
Dugas said the district was hopeful that the tenders would come back at the budgets that it had set.
“But unfortunately it didn’t go that way so definitely, we’re going to move forward,” he said.”That’s what the people (voting) in the referendum wanted and we’re going to keep moving towards that goal.”
The district has secured funding through the Strategic Priorities Fund in the amount of $600,000, the District Port Hardy for $600,000, an annual $50,000 contribution to debt from the Regional District of Mount Waddington and a cash contribution of $250,000 from Marine Harvest.
Dugas said further consultation with the public by Council will be scheduled in the new year, which will include more details and next steps in this project.
There is a demand for a new pool and recreation facility in Port Hardy, Dugas said: “Our pool that’s in place right now is over 40 years (old) and it’s going to need some major upgrades to that facility.”
The residents were given a choice: to repair and upgrade the Port Hardy Recreation Centre or have a new one built.
“When we put it all together, they supported building a new one,” Dugas said. “That’s what we’d like to do. We’d like to move forward on that.”
