A new lawn bowling clubhouse in Minoru Park won’t be replaced for a while, despite being approved more than three years ago.
The city has confirmed the plan to build a new $5.3-million clubhouse has been “paused,” citing supply chain issues and the cost of construction.
When the floor plan and preliminary design were approved in November 2020, the plan was to go to tender in summer 2021 and have it built in 14 months, which would have been fall 2022.
The pandemic, however, pushed this completion date to 2023.
Now, however, with the project on pause, city staff are planning to “revisit the construction timeline” later this year, city spokesperson Clay Adams explained.
The new clubhouse remains on the funded capital project list, Adams said, despite being on hold for now.
“It is important to the city to make sure that projects always proceed in the most responsible, cost-effective manner possible,” he added.
The project was originally approved in spring 2019 in a 5-4 vote as some council members were advocating for building seniors housing or room for non-profits as part of the new clubhouse.
Voting against the new 4,900-square-foot clubhouse were Couns. Harold Steves, Carol Day, Michael Wolfe and former Coun. Kelly Greene.
The current clubhouse was built in 1969 and is 1,920 square feet in size.
The new one will be called the Bowling Green Community Activity Centre and is meant to be used by other groups as well.
