It is literally back to the drawing board for the Town of Edson and Yellowhead County’s Joint Recreational Multi-Use Facility.
In a joint news release, the two municipalities announced they are determining the next path forward in the project when the lowest bid on the project came in at 43 per cent over budget.
The Request for Proposal process on the new recreation centre closed on March 25, 2022, and only two bids were submitted. The first one came in at $84.3 million, and the second one at $90.8 million.
The two municipalities had only budgeted $58 million for the project.
Edson town council received the news at their April 19 meeting, and council was collectively disappointed.
“We have been working on this capital project for here in Edson since 2006,” said Councillor Peter Taylor. “We are so close.”
With Edson town council and Yellowhead County council both formally rejecting the two bids, the project now goes back to the steering committee to develop an equivalent project.
Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara, who also sits on the steering committee, was asked what an equivalent project would be.
“We want to have a similar type concept, with all our recreation programming in one building,” said Zahara. “It will just maybe look a little different. Some things may be scaled back. We do not know what that is going to look like. Our project management team will be getting to work on that.”
The Recreational Multi-Use Facility was originally slated to have two NHL sized ice surfaces, a four sheet curling rink, court space, running track, fitness area, and a new pool area with a lazy river.
The two municipalities were hoping to begin construction this fall.
