.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife will see its next major sports facility installed by August 2010, next to the Multiplex arena.

City council passed plans on Monday night to build the fieldhouse indoor recreational complex, which will include two full-sized indoor soccer fields, a running track, and children's play area that will be available for use all year round. The firm Clark Builders is to begin construction this year.

This simulated image shows the location of the fieldhouse facility, right, with a cut-away view of the interior, next to the Multiplex arena, where it will stand once completed in August 2010. - Photo courtesy of FSC Architects and Engineers, Yellowknife

Even though the project eventually passed by an unanimous vote, several council members initially objected to the amount budgeted for the fieldhouse. At $17 million, plans for the facility exceeded the $16 million council had committed to last year.

Although the essential elements of the fieldhouse - two soccer fields and a running track - amounted to $15.5 million, an added children's play area with space for rent, investments for energy efficiency, and a five per cent contingency fund increased its budget.

The children's play area, according to Coun. Bob Brooks, was added to help decrease operation and maintenance costs. Another incentive to build the extras now, he said, are cheaper construction costs now prevailing in the midst of the current world economic crisis.

Moreover, the crisis has caused the federal government to create the Building Canada Program, which promises to provide $4,370,000 for Yellowknife's fieldhouse project.

"The additional revenue-generating components and additional funds available from the various grants that weren't available two years ago, make this project viable today," Brooks told council members and city administration at Monday night's council meeting.

"We're very fortunate in some ways for the economic situation that we find ourselves in," Coun. Lydia Bardak agreed. "Because that addition is coming in at far less than it normally would."

Coun. Mark Heyck also voiced his complete support for the project tabled.

Couns. David Wind and Dave McCann objected to the fieldhouse budget exceeding the $16 million originally set, however.

A motion by Wind to eliminate the addition of the children's play area and bring the budget closer to $16 million narrowly failed, with four councillors against - Heyck, Bardak, Brooks, and Kevin Kennedy - and three in favour, Wind, McCann and Coun. Paul Falvo.

Falvo made a final attempt to limit the budget, tabling a motion to eliminate the five per cent contingency fund amounting to $812,817. McCann and Kennedy agreed.

"What we need is to create a barrier" to escalating costs, McCann said, "as opposed to a safety net."

City administrators answered that contingencies are the industry norm, which avoid costly delays that could happen if unforeseen construction costs arise at the site. Carl Bird, director of corporate services with the city, Brooks and Mayor Gord Van Tighem said unforeseen geotechnical problems, involving complications with soil and rock at the site, are the greatest concern that would be covered by contingencies.

Without this coverage, said Bird, decisions on covering added costs would have to go back to council and that could delay construction.

"If we had to go back to council for unforeseen circumstances that arise, we would end up paying with stand-up charges and remobilization charges," said Bird.

With council deadlocked on eliminating contingency reserves, Brooks tabled a motion calling for a reduction in the contingency to 2.5 per cent from the 5 per cent. The motion passed with Heyck and McCann abstaining.

Despite the changes to the contingency, the mayor said he was happy to see the project finally pass.

"It's excellent," he said.

"This started probably when we did the recreational facility needs assessment in the late 1990's."

The project emerged for good in 2002, he recalled, when the Aurora Minor Soccer Association came forward with "a full and detailed assessment of what soccer was using, what they really needed, and what we needed to get there."

According to city administration, the fieldhouse will fulfil excess demand for recreational field space in the city, which amounts to 30 per cent more than the current capacity in school gyms and other facilities.