COUNTY - A downscaled tender for the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre is expected to shave millions of dollars off the project's price tag through a series of alterations.

 "It's still something we'll be proud of," said management board chairman Paul Belliveau in a recent interview.

 The main components - including a six-lane pool, an NHL-sized ice surface and a library - remain unchanged, but after the original tenders came in higher than expected this fall, the board made a series of compromises designed to get the project under its approximately $33.5 million budget.

 "We will not have every bell and whistle. We had a wish list at the beginning, and we're all disappointed we didn't get to that point, but we also are taxpayers at all levels - municipally, provincially, federally - and we have to make sure we have an operating budget we can afford and high utilization of the facility."

 The most notable change was a lowering of the roof by four feet.

 "It affected a lot of things, but because of that, it will save a lot of money."

 For example, that decision led to not only less steel being required for construction, but the elimination of an arena press box and an upper mezzanine.

 Still, perhaps the most controversial decision was to remove a water slide from the pool area.

 "That made it more complete, and we know that, but we were just running shy of money."

 However, the infrastructure will be put in place to allow for the addition of a slide if and when funds allow.

 "We've got that planned for the future."

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 Mr. Belliveau said the big-ticket change was reducing the library from 12,000 to 8,000 square feet, "but combined, they still will have more square footage and a more efficient square footage, opposed to what they now have."

 The other modifications include less glass, a simplification of the arena roof trusses, the addition of two vertical columns in the aquatic centre and dozens of other cost-saving measures.

 The revised tender is expected to be advertised early in the new year.

 "The documents are almost all ready. Now it's just a matter of preparing them."

 The tender will likely close by the end of January. Construction is expected to begin by early March and take approximately one year to complete.

 Meanwhile, Mr. Belliveau dismissed rumours of ongoing problems related to the construction site, aside from dealing with an unusual amount of rain in November and a large quantity of rock earlier this year, which was not unexpected.

 "We knew we would have to deal with that slate. Everybody who's constructed up there had to deal with that. It's nothing new."

 The lifestyle centre has financial commitments of $10.35 million from the federal government, $10 million from the province, and $8.85 million from the Town of Bridgewater and the Municipality of Lunenburg.

 There is also an active community fundraising campaign which has so far generated nearly $2 million.

 The Lunenburg County Multi-Purpose Centre Corporation has the right to manage design, construction and operations of the facility on behalf of the town and the Municipality of Lunenburg. The eight-member management board includes two elected officials and two community members from each municipality.

 The site is located in the Bridgewater Business Park between Wentzell Drive and Cook Road off York Street.

posted on 12/28/11