A new garage is costing the City of Timmins more than expected.
Last week, Buildcor Construction was awarded a $219,300 contract to put up a garage at the Mattagami Wastewater Treatment Plant.
So far, the garage has cost $361,657, which is about $26,600 more than the $335,000 budget. This total includes the foundation, main service into the buildings and completing the shell of the building.
To cover the shortfall, the city is taking cash from upgrades to the generators at Beaurivage and Park because the units will not be delivered until 2022 now.
Director of public works and engineering Pat Seguin said another $240,000 is needed for the garage next year for the concert slab, mechanical and electrical, and heating system.
Seguin told council that the cost of building has gone up drastically since the costing was done, which was based on about $150 per square foot for the 2,200-square-foot building.
“We’ve found that the costs through COVID have gone up quite a bit,” he said.
City staff has already done most of the work to prepare the land and Seguin said the foundation was being poured last week.
BuildCor will put up the walls and trusses, which are being supplied by the city, install doors and apply finishing and roofing.
Seguin also explained why the garage is needed.
“In and around 2017 there was mould was discovered in the change rooms at the wastewater plant so the employees were moved into a trailer facility that they could shower in,” he said.
The existing garage on-site that's about 800-square-feet is attached to the admin area. Those spaces are being used to build two new change rooms — one for men and one for women.
