Funding expected to save city of Barrie almost $200,000 - Allandale Rec Centre

Substantial savings on four city projects allows new spending on a Barrie community centre and park.

These projects are $2.15 million under budget, and more than $1.9 million of that money will now fund the city’s share of refurbishing Lampman Lane Community Centre and Park, worth $2.9 million in total.

“In accordance with the city’s capital project control policies, the excess funds are returned to the source reserve — in this case the tax capital reserve,” said Blaine Parkin, Barrie’s director of corporate asset management.

The other $943,800 comes from the federal Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF), and was announced last Saturday.

City officials found excess funds of $1,060,489 in the Livingstone Street West project, from Sunnidale Road to Bayfield Street.

“For the Livingstone Street road project, the city benefitted from a particularly competitive bidding environment at the time of tendering,” said Barrie engineering director Bob Kahle. “On most projects there are ‘unknowns’ that arise — for example ground conditions worse than expected, etc. — that weren’t experienced on this project.”

There were also $193,311 in savings found in the Redfern Avenue culvert at Bear Creek.

“Late 2010, and 2011 was a particularly good year for getting competitive pricing,” Kahle said. “Culvert works of this nature have the potential for encountering worse-than-expected soil conditions, and we account for this in our initial budgeting and contingencies.

“However, on Redfern, we did not have any issues arise that required payment beyond the tender items. This is highly unusual, in my 36 years of experience in construction.”

Kahle also said the economic climate contributed to savings.

“I can only surmise that, after the bubble of work created by the infrastructure stimulus program, that the contractors were once again hungry and providing good pricing,” he said.

There was also $800,000 saved on Barrie’s No. 5 fire hall.

“With respect to interim Station 5, city staff were successful in negotiating a lower-than-expected cost for the necessary renovations, and therefore have excess funds that again can be returned to the source reserve account,” Parkin said.

And $100,000 was saved on modernizing the environmental systems at MacLaren Art Centre.

“The city was successful in applying and receiving a grant for the work to be undertaken at the MacLaren, and therefore a portion of that project budget can be returned to the tax capital reserve as well,” Parkin said.

Lampman Lane’s tennis courts will be rebuilt, the existing swimming pool will be changed to an accessible splash pad, the washrooms will be upgraded and repaired. The park will also be landscaped.

CIIF will support communities, and create jobs, by repairing and improving existing facilities during the next two years.

The fund, which totals $150 million, is to benefit many types of community infrastructure — including community centres, cultural centres, parks, libraries, recreational facilities, tourism facilities, and other existing community facilities which have a local impact.

All projects must be completed by March 31, 2014. Bob Bruton - Examiner

(photo: Barrie MP Patrick Brown, centre, announced $943,800 from the CIIF fund on behalf of Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, for Lampman Lane Community Centre and park refurbishment in Barrie. On hand for the event were Coun. Alex Nuttall, left, and Mayor Jeff Lehman. KIM JEFFERY PHOTO