THUNDER BAY – City staff will continue their work to get shovels in the ground for the proposed indoor turf facility by June 2025.
Pending ratification, council did agree to push back a final report on the facility to June 3 after it was discovered a deeper foundation dig would be necessary due to poor soil conditions at the site.
“There were some soft soils that were found within the footprint,” explained Kayla Dixon, the city’s director of engineering and operations.
“The shallow foundation that was originally proposed now has changed to a piled foundation. That is a more expensive foundation and is why there was a $600,000 addition to the budget.”
Dixon told council that despite the added cost, the project still falls within the city’s approved financing strategy for up to $44.6 million. However, it would be over the $38 million upset limit for the facility approved by council last November.
Dixon maintained Monday that inflationary impacts have already been included in the costs that have been presented to council.
“Council has asked for public engagement but we also have some stakeholder engagement to organize as well,” Dixon added.
“For example, we will chat with the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium as well as those who use the adjacent dog park and the Canada Games Complex.
“We will continue with preliminary design work to confirm the impacts of the geotechnical and environmental assessment that was completed. We also have some financial analysis that's required to look at the operating impacts of that facility.”
An open house was held in January to garner feedback from the public, determine general community support for the proposal and determine the willingness of the public to pay additional taxes to cover the costs of the debt financing needed to build the turf facility.
With files from Leith Dunick
