First steps toward building the gathering circle on Collingwood’s waterfront are underway.
According to a staff report submitted to council at the June 11 meeting, the town issued payments in the amount of $33,900 for design services and $113,112 for a down payment on the structural work and fabrication.
Architecture and design services were contracted to Brook McIlroy, which is the firm that designed the waterfront master plan.
The structural work and fabrication are being completed by Lafontaine Iron Works. According to the staff report, Lafontaine has architectural and sculptural fabrication including other gathering circle projects.
The gathering circle is part of the waterfront master plan. Earlier this year council approved a budget of $600,000 for the project and gave staff oversee the building of the structure to meet tight timelines. The fast-track is due to an offer from the United Steelworkers Union to assist with construction of the space. The union is having a district convention in September 2018.
Since council gave staff authority to oversee the project, staff has committed to updating council regularly on spending.
The total budget for the project is $600,000 with $50,000 reserved for consulting costs, $43,450 for engineering costs and $506,550 for contract services.
