By Sheldon Spackman

council sets maximum price

Blackfalds Multi-Plex expansion to begin in June

May 28, 2020 | 2:21 PM

Shovels will hit the ground next month for the expansion of the Blackfalds Multi-Plex now that town council has finalized the budget for the ambitious project.

On Tuesday, council voted 4-3 to approve the final and guaranteed maximum price of the project at $24.6 million – made up of $18 million for the new arena and $6.6 million for the library.

The move is a bid by the Town of Blackfalds to ensure the municipality will not pay more than $24.6 million for the project, with any cost overruns falling to Delnor and Eagle Builders who are carrying out the expansion.

A breakdown of funding sources for the Blackfalds Multi-Plex expansion project (Source: Town of Blackfalds)

The Blackfalds Bulldogs, who are to begin play in the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2021-22 season, have contributed $1 million to the new arena.

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Mayor Richard Poole says he’s proud of the work Town of Blackfalds administration and its contractors ACI Architects, Eagle Builders and Delnor Construction undertook over the last two months to find cost savings and come up with a “target value design.”

“This will be an excellent value for our community when it is built. It will be second to none and I believe it will be a project our community will be proud of,” Poole says in a release.

“I am also excited about the opportunities that the AJHL will bring to the community,” adds Poole. “The new library is going to be one of the largest in central Alberta and, for a community under 20,000, this will be an attraction that we will not only be extremely proud of, but given the provisions of the facility, will allow for progressive programming even in a post-COVID era.”

Councillors Ray Olfert, Laura Svab, and Rebecca Stendie voted against the new maximum price for the project. Stendie says it’s disappointing to see a higher cost after previously being assured it wouldn’t be higher than $23.8 million.

“I’m in favour 100 per cent of an arena. I’m in favour 100 per cent of a library. I am not in favour of an over-inflated budget on a project that we were told over and over and over again that would not go over, which is why I will not be voting in favour of this, even though I am in favour of the project itself,” Stendie said during Tuesday’s council meeting.

“When we went out to tender after this, it was for $31 million and now we’re sitting at $24.6 million,” noted Sean Barnes, Director of Community Services. “If you take this building and you wait two or three years, you’re looking at $32-$36 million dollars.”

Councillor William Taylor said the project is going to bring people to Blackfalds from all over the province.

“That brings people to our restaurants. It brings people to our grocery stores and into everything that we have here. At the same time while this is happening in building this project, we’re benefiting the people in our community that are working there,” he said.

“The benefits to our community are to me, are the significance,” he continued. “In economic development, this will be one of our hugest drivers for years to come.”

A gallery of final design concepts can be viewed at the town’s website.

A small ground breaking ceremony is scheduled for June 19 after the previous ceremony slated for April 4 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With files from the Town of Blackfalds)