The outside of Co-operative Place is ready. Some pavement was donated to allow the Town of Wynyard to pave a portion of the parking lot near the entrance. (Facebook/Wynyard Recreation)

By Mat Barrett

Co-operative Place

Open House for Co-operative Place in Wynyard approaching

Sep 30, 2019 | 3:41 PM

Less than a month remains until the new Co-operative Place in Wynyard opens its doors.

According to CAO Jason Chorneyko, there are still a few small tasks that need to be completed, but otherwise, things are looking good.

“We’re behind where we wanted to be,” Chorneyko told northeastNOW. “We thought at this time, everything would be done and our substantial completion meeting would’ve been done and everything and it’s not. But it’s going to be done in time.”

Chorneyko expects their substantial completion meeting to take place during the week of Oct. 9. Some remaining jobs to be completed include painting touch-ups that were needed after some issues with the first crew of painters, electrical and HVac work just finishing up, and some loose ends needing to be tied up with the reverse osmosis system.

Meanwhile, bidding remains open for the first skate at Co-operative Place. It’s open until noon on Tuesday, Oct. 1, according to Wynyard Recreation’s Facebook page. Bids are already over $4,000 for the skate. Chorneyko said he expects a few more bids coming as the deadline approaches.

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“I think as we get closer, especially as the ice goes in, you might see some more activity on that,” he said.

Ice is expected to be added the same week as the substantial completion meeting (week of Oct. 9), and Chorneyko said all of the work left to be done should not affect the ice being put in. He said minor hockey, and other user groups will have the normal scheduling begin around Oct. 26.

One day prior, on Oct. 25, the Town of Wynyard is holding an Open House to celebrate the opening of the new complex. The event will feature tours throughout the day, a steak supper, the first skate in the new rink, and public skating to follow.

“You’ve got to have some sort of ceremony,” Chorneyko said. “To acknowledge the construction of what’s going to be, I think, the envy of small towns in the province.”

As for fundraising for the project, Chorneyko said they’ve fundraised what they can for now, but there will always be constant fundraising efforts. During the construction of the complex, $1.8 million was donated by various businesses in the Wynyard area to help cover some of the costs. Chorneyko said the total cost of Co-operative Place is expected to top out around $11.4 million. He said it began under $10 million, but one of the big reasons the cost went up was the PST being added onto construction projects for municipalities.

Another layer to the new recreation complex in Wynyard is the future of the current rink in town. Chorneyko said they won’t be using it anymore.

“There’s no ice plant in there anymore,” he said. “And an award for demolition has been tendered and awarded.”

The old rink is expected to be torn down sometime during the winter.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6