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The renovations at the Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre in Saskatoon are facing setbacks.
The centre first closed for renovations on April 6, with plans to completely upgrade facilities. The City of Saskatoon has announced tenders came in much higher than anticipated, and the initial tender has now been cancelled, leaving renovation dates up in the air.
“Inflation has generally been pushing the cost of construction upwards and such was reflected in the submissions received on this project coming in over the established budget,” Angela Gardiner, the general manager of utilities and environment, said in a statement.
The city said it’s now updating the project design and reviewing the project scope for efficiencies. The project will be rendered once the review is fully completed.
In the meantime, the aquatic centre will remain closed until the upgrade is finished. The city said most equipment and features have been worn down and are due for an upgrade, which is why the centre will remain closed during this waiting period.
“The City is currently in the process of rescoping the project prior to reissuing a call for bid submissions this fall,” Gardiner said in the statement. “During this time, the facility will remain closed while preliminary work continues to prepare the site for a contractor.”
The Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre was first built in 1975, and there are many renovation plans laid out to modernize the building itself. Upgrades were planned for the roof, wall insulation, building accessibility, water treatment and building mechanical system upgrades.
Inside the building, changes are to be made to the 50-metre pool basin, changerooms and washrooms.
The city said that where possible, programs at the other five leisure centres in Saskatoon will expand if needed while the Harry Bailey remains closed for an unknown amount of time.
