Funding delays slow construction.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Sault Ste. Marie - Brief Article

Two years ago, Sault ste. Marie contractors were in the midst of a mini-construction boom with a wave of retail, institutional and commercial projects. Though it has been a solid year on the local construction scene, says Rick Thomas, manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association, it could be even better if the province would expedite some badly needed funding dollars for much anticipated big-ticket items.

Local contractors are awaiting news on several projects such as the modernization and expansion of the Northern Treatment Centre to pave the way for the transfer of inmates from the old Sault jail. In addition, a modern 36-bed remand unit at the facility is slated to be built at a cost of $2 million, creating dozens of local construction jobs.

Adjacent to that site will be the reconstruction of the F.J. Davey long-term care facility that will double the number of beds to 370. Expected to begin construction next year for a 2004 opening, the $44-million project will create 120 highly-skilled construction jobs.

The Sault area hospitals have also chosen a 70-acre property in the city's north end as the home of a proposed $175 million new hospital. A provincial funding announcement for 70 per cent of the project cost is still pending.

"I'm still optimistic about the hospital but we need to do it at the right pace, there's a real approvals process that must be carried through patiently," says Thomas. "But a lot of folks are discouraged that things aren't happening as quickly."

The value of building construction released in the city's September report show from the planning department show total building values for this year at $36,612,197, on a par with the $37,099,785 spent last year, in comparison to the more than $60 million spent in the Sault during 1999. The charity casino, mall renovations and a new Olympic-sized pool and ice surface boosted commercial and institutional building activity that year.

Industrial projects this year jumped by more than $5 million to $8,373,939. Thomas attributed much of that to the installation of a new debarking system at St. Marys Paper and the completion of the $22-million joint venture...