Perth County Council has awarded a contract for the 5 Huron renovation and connecting link addition project.
The winning tender was submitted by Dakon Construction for just over $5 million.
As reported by StratfordToday in November, County council had previously approved a budget of $2.1 million. A new budget presented by Mayhew, a Richmond Hill-based company, put the figure at $4.8 million.
"All of the due diligence was done," Perth County Warden Rhonda Ehgoetz told StratfordToday. "Unfortunately we can't control the price, it could continue to escalate. If we don't do something now, the price could get higher...now is the time to do it."
A report provided to council last fall said the project expanded to include drainage, access/egress, parking lot/walkways, security, and use of existing utilities.
Additionally, the square footage increase (from 10,000 to 11,062 square feet), additional site work identified, new HVAC, and the reworking of parking factored into the increase. Time, inflation, the increase of construction costs, and the 25 per cent contingency imposed are market factors.
After some discussion over the higher cost, county council approved the design last fall and voted to move forward with the project.
Staff and the project design team worked on the project for 16 months.
"It has been a long process but we wanted to make sure we did it right," Ehgoetz said.
The county said this week that the decision marks an important step towards a renewed courthouse campus for county administration.
The construction tender was issued in April to eight pre-qualified contractors and closed in early May, with six bids received, the County said.
The project will renovate both floors of the 5 Huron St. building (formerly Service Ontario) and house county administrative staff.
There will also be a new connecting link addition to provide the main entrance and central reception for the courthouse and 5 Huron facilities.
“This is an historic project for the future home of the County of Perth,” Ehgoetz said.
The Warden said county staff are working wherever they can in the current set-up. Improvements will see an increase in offices for staff and an open concept design.
"It will be great for morale when they are in the new facility," the Warden said.
“Council has shown great leadership in moving the project forward. A tremendous amount of preparation and hard work has gone into bringing the project to this stage and I am eager to see the plans come to life.“
“I am delighted with the support of council to expand the County’s central administration facilities,” CAO Lori Wolfe added. “County staff are committed to excellence in service delivery and this renewed facility will further support the exceptional work we do for our community.”
The project is expected to break ground this summer with an anticipated completion date of fall 2024.
