The Town of Hay River doesn't expect to have the new Rec Centre turned over from the builders until the end of next month.
"For a number of reasons, the project is behind schedule and based on the current schedule provided by the contractor, we are not anticipating that the facility will be turned over to the town until the end of January," stated Judy Goucher, the senior administrative officer with the Town of Hay River, in a Dec. 7 update released on Facebook.
Goucher said the new recreation centre will not be open to the public until the facility is safe for use and an occupancy permit is issued.
An occupancy permit would be issued by the Town of Hay River's development officer. However, a number of other permits and certifications have to be achieved before that happens, including from the Office of the Fire Marshal, and electrical and mechanical inspections.
"We appreciate that residents are anxious to start using the new facility and we are making every effort to open the doors as soon as possible," Goucher added in the update. "Further updates will be provided as we get closer to handover date."
The project had been originally targeted for substantial completion by mid to late December.
When contacted by The Hub, Goucher was asked about her confidence that the project will be ready for turnover by the end of January.
"At this point in time, that date matches the schedule that we've been given by the contractor," she said.
Goucher explained that, when she says turned over to the town, she means the occupancy permit has been issued and the facility can be opened to users.
The SAO noted the town has been meeting monthly with the contractor on how the project is progressing.
"We know that they had a very aggressive timeline working back from the middle of December, which was the original handover date," she said. "So we knew that there were some aggressive deadlines built into that, but we're all quite anxious to get this facility completed and open for the public, so I guess we're all pushing in that direction together."
The delay will not cost the town anything extra under the design-build agreement with Clark Builders, the main contractor. The company agreed to build the facility for $23.5 million and the only additional costs to the town are for changes it specifically requests.
With the announced delay, the opening of the new Rec Centre gets closer to the start of the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games, set from March 18 to March 24.
"We're pretty confident that it will be ready and open for business prior to the winter games," said Goucher.
The Rec Centre will host Arctic Winter Games hockey and volleyball in the curling rink.
This is the second winter without an indoor arena and curling rink in Hay River as demolition and then rebuilding have been ongoing since the summer of 2016.
Since the arena will not be ready for a while longer, skaters will still have to head to the community's outdoor rinks.
The rink in 553 and another in Old Town opened on Dec. 1.