Sudbury’s Junction East budget now projected at more than $98M
City council in Sudbury gave the Junction East project its approval at Tuesday night’s meeting the city said in a news release.
The community hub will include the city’s main library, art gallery and multi-cultural-folk arts association under one roof at a cost of $98.5 million.
The price tag has more than doubled since the original proposed cost of $46 million in 2016.
Recommendations for the conceptual design, business plan, operational model, and financial plan for the new cultural campus were approved, allowing for the detailed design and construction phases to proceed.
Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger called it an important milestone.
“We all know that we must continue to invest in ourselves, strategically renewing our aging facilities and rethink how municipal services will be delivered for years to come.”
“This facility will offer artistic and creative experiences to people of all ages in Greater Sudbury,” Bigger said.
Bigger said the decision to proceed with the project was well received by council.
“Yes, there were one or two councillors who consistently vote no to many of our council projects, but this is a very strong majority of council that voted in support of moving forward. It reflects the confidence I believe the public has in this project as well,” he said.
The building design was first presented to council in early May after almost 18 months of research by the city’s project team.
Patricia Meehan, the chair of the Sudbury Theatre Centre, said the STC is excited about the partnerships that will be formed to augment the programming that it can offer patrons, and its young artists participating in education programs.
“This project is a beacon to all those who live here, are considering a move here, or just coming to visit, that arts and culture in this community is alive and well,” Meehan said.
The city said staff will work on the necessary tender documents and drawings to issue a construction tender for the first quarter of next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.