The Mattamy National Cycling Centre is starting to take shape, but the December ice storm and an overall frigid winter has caused an eight-week delay in its construction.
Ontario Sports Solutions (ONSS), the joint venture building the velodrome, recently advised Infrastructure Ontario that the ice storm, prolonged frigid temperatures and high winds in southern Ontario had contributed to the delays.
“The velodrome was originally scheduled to be complete 12 months before the Games and at minimum there will be 10 months for testing to ensure the velodrome is functioning and tested in a competition environment,” said Terence Foran, spokesperson for Infrastructure Ontario (IO).
In a memo sent in late March, town councillors were made aware of the issue and advised that other facilities being built in Hamilton and Toronto for the Pan/Parapan American Games were also behind schedule.
Community Services Director Jennifer Reynolds said Town staff will attend a meeting being organized by the ONSS in mid-April to discuss plans going forward.
“We’re supposed to understand after their detailed review if they can mitigate the schedule, how they’re going to do that and what the actual date might be,” she said.
In recent weeks and months, the roof on the velodrome has been installed and exterior paneling has started to be put up.
IO was notified that “roofing activities” and the pouring of concrete on the ground floor were the two areas mainly impacted.
Reynolds said construction crews had been working overtime to get back on schedule.
“They have been working extra shifts and some weekend shifts — we expect that will continue,” she said.
Based on the design, build and finance agreement between IO and ONSS it would be the contractor that would assume any additional costs associated with meeting the project’s milestones.
A separate crew also will be brought in to construct the track itself, and “the building has to be to a certain point of readiness for that to happen,” Reynolds said.
The original anticipated opening of the velodrome was scheduled for late August with the National Track Cycling Championships in mid-October acting as an official test event for the Games.
Cycling Canada has been made aware of the delays and the potential impact on the event.
Reynolds said more would be known about any impact on the competition after the meeting with ONSS.
“I think the discussion will have to be between Toronto 2015 and Cycling Canada as they’re co-hosting this test event and what the options would be,” Reynolds said.
The ONSS team is comprised of Bouygues Building Canada Inc., Kenaidan Contracting Ltd., Cannon Design, Faulkner Browns Architects and Arup.
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