Park centre rebuild costs may rise

The Park Community Centre redevelopment plans may change due to shifts in the cost of construction and market conditions since 2024, a city spokesperson told the Sun on Friday.

In order to stay within available funding, the Park Community Centre redevelopment project may require “value engineering” — changes to reduce cost while maintaining function — or changes to its scope, Brandon’s communications officer Merrilea Metcalf told the Sun.

The project has received roughly $8.5 million in funding.

“As the project moves into detailed design, updated market conditions and construction cost pressures will be assessed,” Metcalf told the Sun in an email. “Costs may increase from the 2024 estimate as the project advances.”

The potential increase was estimated to be in the ballpark of $350,000, centre president Ken Friedrich told the Sun on Thursday.

“Some of those numbers, after they came into the equation, did leave us a little short,” Friedrich said.

Built in 1946, the Park Community Centre is slated to be demolished and replaced by a new structure because of safety concerns, code deficiencies and deterioration. A new 68-space daycare facility is planned for the revitalized centre.

The project so far has received $7 million from the Manitoba government, $1.4 million from the City of Brandon and $100,000 from Heritage Co-Op.

Metcalf said the city cannot confirm the potential $350,000 cost increase, and said the city does not have any confirmed numbers as of yet.

Two Park Community Centre board members told the Sun that the potential increase was noted in February as part of a regular project update.

Board member Doug Sullivan said the situation is frustrating.

The changing costs come after the project has already dragged on for years, he said.

“It’s pathetic, because it’s been eight years now, or coming up to eight years now,” Sullivan said.

“They (the city) are dragging their feet.”

In November, when additional provincial funding was announced, Friedrich said the long project timeline had been wearying.

“We’ve been through this for so long now,” Friedrich said at the time. “We’re all happy … but I think until our board sees shovels in the ground, then that’s when we’ll start to kind of be a little more smiley and more jovial.”

The new potential cost increases tabled in February are not expected to cause any delays to the project, Friedrich told the Sun on Thursday.

Premier Wab Kinew initially pledged $1 million for the project during his election campaign in 2023, and delivered that and more in a $6-million announcement in 2025.

The City of Brandon committed $1.2 million in 2023 — and later added an additional $200,000.

The province announced another $1 million last November to ensure the cost of reconstruction was covered entirely.

The city received five proposals for detailed design services for the centre this year.

The submissions are under review and no construction costs have been evaluated at this stage, Metcalf said on Friday.

The evaluation committee will meet in the coming weeks to review the submissions and determine next steps, she added.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com