As reported by Truro News, West Hants council has an idea of what the new sports complex, which includes an ice surface and soccer field, is going to look like and cost, after a special session of Committee of the Whole, held mostly in-camera.

Following a public presentation from two proponents, Lindsay Construction and Roscoe Construction, council passed a motion to move ahead with Lindsay’s proposal, slated at $14.6 million. That motion passed 5-3, with two councillors absent.

The motion still needs to be approved by West Hants Council on March 12.

The project is approximately $2.6 million over West Hants’ initial budget for a $12 million sport complex to service the region, but Warden Abraham Zebian said they intend to work with Lindsay to bring costs down.

“The fundraising committee is confident in their ability to raise substantial additional funds,” Zebian said.

“If/when a project is formally passed by council, I’m certain council will be looking to work with the successful contractor to find efficiencies in reducing the costs of the build without sacrificing elements the community is looking forward to,” he added. “Value for dollar is always council’s top priority on any project.”

West Hants council also needs to finalize the purchase of land from the Windsor Agricultural Society.

And the municipality is not alone on this project.

The federal government announced in December that they would contribute $4.4 million towards the complex, with the province throwing in $3.6 million.

The Town of Windsor previously committed $1 million spread out five years towards the facility.

The municipality also requested an additional $800,000 from the town to put towards the soccer component, but Windsor council has yet to decide on the ask. The request will be brought forward at budget deliberations later this year.

The Municipality of West Hants is on the hook for any shortfall in funding but is planning to fundraise aggressively to make up the difference.

There were two motions immediately following the special committee of the whole session on Feb. 19, which included more than three hours of in-camera discussions.

The first motion was to recommend Roscoe Construction’s proposal for the facility. Two councillors voted in favour — Tanya Leopold and David Keith and six voted against — Zebian, Deputy Warden Paul Morton, and councillors Kathy Monroe, Debbie Francis, Jennifer Daniels and Randy Hussey.

The second motion recommended Lindsay Construction’s proposal. Zebian and councillors Monroe, Francis, Daniels and Hussey were in favour; Morton, Keith and Leopold were opposed.

Roscoe’s project scored slightly better with the municipality’s RFP criteria, mainly because their project was estimated to cost a little more than $14 million.

Keep reading in Truro News

 

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