Meaford Council has passed a recommendation to award a tender of over $153,000 for upgrades to the Harbour River washrooms.
Imperial Construction and Restoration Inc. will perform the work.
The project includes upgrades to the washroom and shower facilities, along with the ventilation and exterior of the building, while also providing insulation and heating to accommodate the facility for yearly use.
The municipality did try applying for a grant under the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative program to offset the upgrades costs, but was unsuccessful.
Over $43,000 will be transferred from reserves to offset costs that went over the $110,000 budget set for the project. The current Harbour Reserve Fund is currently estimated at around $180,000.
Coun. Harley Greenfield questions the need for work to be done on the outside of the building, saying comments he has heard refers to the inside and not the exterior. He suggests saving that part of the project for a couple years down the line when they have more “pocket money.”
In response, Meaford’s Manager, Parks and Facilities Rod Willis says the reason why they are moving ahead with the exterior work is due to them already planning on spray foaming the outside when working on the insulation.
“We have weighed some stuff out about framing the entire interior of the building and spraying the interior of the building and moving a bunch equipment and stuff around and felt it was easier to insulate the outside of the building with the spray foam and cover it,” says Willis.
