Golden Town councillors, several staff and Mayor Benty went on a tour of the Civic Centre last week. The purpose of the tour was for the group to see what construction crews have accomplished so far and what will happen in the months to come.
Roger Smith, the project’s Construction Manager and Len Brown, the architect, as well as members of the Redevelopment Select Committee led the tour through the main hall, the sites of the front and back extensions and the building’s basement.
Brown said the walk-through “went well” and he thinks it gave the councillors a better sense of scale now that the demolition part of the project is completed.
Mayor Benty said that she thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
“It was so interesting to see the unrefined but substantial structure underneath and the use of new wood to compliment it,” she said. “ In the basement, there is a great, open space and it was easy to envision a multi-use facility. This building is an investment in social infrastructure and is going to be a great community resource.”
Brown explained that the project is now about 75 per cent of the way through structural upgrades.
“Most of the work right now is being done on the roof, which can be very involved and tricky work. It requires a lot of attention and a careful hand,” said Brown.
Work on the front addition, which will house the new women’s bathroom and an elevator, is expected to begin very soon. Trades people will most likely start working in the building next month, as the construction crew is still getting the site ready for them.
“It’s so important to sequence this properly so nobody is tripping over each other,” said Brown.
There is one insulated storage room in the back of the building, though, where workers can warm up when the weather gets cold.
CouncillorMike Pecora said he is most excited for the back addition, which will allow for bigger productions with easier access to the basement green room and dressing rooms and more effective loading through a back dock.
“The functionality of this addition is going to be amazing,” he said.
Brown said the “re-birth” of the Civic Centre is on time and the grand opening is still expected for October 2011.
The projected cost of the re-birth is around $2.2 million. Funds have been leveraged from a number of local, regional, provincial and federal sources and it’s projected that 8 per cent of the total cost will come from the taxpayers of Golden.
