SHUNIAH — A new addition to the MacGregor Recreation Centre is almost ready.
The pavilion at the recreation centre is almost complete and is expected to be ready for visitors by the end of February.
"There's going to be some portable rink boards that we put up for the skating rink and the wintertime," said Paul Greenwood, the municipality's chief administrative officer.
"We'll take them down so that we have full use of the facility for farmers' markets and other activities throughout the rest of the year."
Greenwood said they are looking at future funding to add more features to the pavilion.
"We want to provide additional features such as benches and a sound system, but that will come with other funding opportunities we hope we can take advantage of."
There were some material delays earlier in the project.
"With respect to the delays of construction, part of it was due to some additional analysis as far as the groundwork that was needed to be completed before the cement base went in," Greenwood said.
"Also, there were a few delays with respect to some of the trusses and the time frame of that type of thing coming in."
While there were some delays, it hasn't impacted the budget or bottom line for the structure, Greenwood said.
"Fortunately, we've had some spectacular weather in December. We've been able to continue construction and the budget for it is on par," he said, adding that the budget is coming in under $1.4 million for the project.
"We've been fortunate to get half of that funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund."
Greenwood said the community can expect a grand opening ceremony for the new community space when the pavilion is complete.
