Work to upgrade and improve accessibility at the South Delta Recreation Centre will begin soon.
On Monday night, Delta council gave the greenlight for the project by awarding a construction contract to Klondike Contracting Corporation from Vancouver who according to a staff report, came in with the lowest price of the four companies that submitted project bids through Delta’s tender process.
In February, council gave funding approval of $1 million for the project that includes the construction of a new foyer to provide an interior connection between the arena and curling rink, installation of an elevator, reconfiguration of the upper floor and a retrofit of the washrooms on the upper and lower floors.
The project has been more than three years in the making.
A report to council three years ago noted the facility does not have wheelchair access to the second level, which includes the curling lounge operated by the Tunnel Town Curling Club and the public meeting rooms and spaces leased to community organizations.
Council awarded a contract in 2016 for a consultant to complete a feasibility study on the installation of a vertical lift and other strategies to overcome accessibility barriers at the centre. That study focused on recommendations and analysis identified in an accessibility audit completed by the Rick Hansen Foundation.
The consultant determined the best solution for access to the second floor would be through the installation of a vertical lift in the main lobby. The consultant was also asked to provide estimates for retrofitting washrooms on the upper and lower floors to meet current accessibility best practices, but funding wasn’t available at that time.
