City set to award tender for phase two of Thunder Bay’s botanical conservatory renewal | CBC News
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The City of Thunder Bay is continuing with its multi-million dollar refurbishment of the Centennial Botanical Conservatory.
City administration is recommending council approve awarding a tender for phase two of the project to Mbuilds (NWO) Limited Partnership at its upcoming meeting on Monday.
Phase two, which will cost about $7.7 million, will see a number of improvements made at the facility, according to a report to council. They include:
- Replacing the east and west wing aluminum structures, and refinishing portions of the steel structure and piping in the Tropical Display House.
- Renewing floor space.
- Re-glazing the entire facility, replacing the existing glass with a new, more-durable material.
- Adding automated venting and irrigation systems.
- Removing asbestos.
- Improving accessibility.
- Replacing the facility’s HVAC and electrical systems.
- Replacing underground drainage in the display area.
“That’s essentially the core phase that was the original focus of the project, protecting those tropical display areas and all the plants inside,” said Cory Halvorsen, the city’s manager of parks and open spaces.
Extended closure required to complete work
Halvorsen said the work will begin this summer, and will require keeping the facility closed to the public. The conservatory was closed over the winter to prepare for the phase two work.
“It does appear that it would span over two summers,” Halvorsen said. “Some of the work would be done this year, but essentially a major portion of the glazing would be happening in the following summer.”
“So, we would have an extended period of closure.”
Phase one of the conservatory renewal saw the greenhouses behind the conservatory replaced, as well as the construction of the annex building, which extends off the existing building. That phase was completed in May 2023, and was also done by Mbuilds.
The city also has plans for a third phase, which would focus on the overall site that houses the conservatory itself, including redesigning and rebuilding the parking lot and connecting roads.
“We’ve applied for some external funding to support that initiative,” Halvorsen said of phase three. “We wouldn’t be moving forward with that either until that funding were to come through, or we were to plan for future-year capital improvements.”
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