Costs for Grunthal Arena increase

Costs for the Grunthal Arena have increased by $1 million since the project was first announced in 2024, when estimated costs were between $4 million and $4.5 million.

“Construction costs went up,” said Ward 6 Coun. Curtis Dawydiuk.

The current anticipated cost of the project has risen to between $5 million to $5.5 million. Funding for the arena will be divided between local fundraising, the municipality, and the federal and provincial governments. So far, the community has raised about $1.4 million of a $2 million goal.

The build will see an additional 9,895 sq-ft built onto the existing arena, which will include a new lobby, four new changerooms, a new viewing area, a multipurpose room, a hall, and a kitchen. There will be no changes to the rink area other than making the washrooms more accessible.

In a previous interview with The Carillon, Dawydiuk said the arena is a hub for winter activities for the Grunthal area and that use “bounced back” after COVID.

“When you have a facility like this, even though it’s aging, it’s very important to keep it. When you start losing facilities in communities then (the communities) start to go backwards and regress. It’s important that we take care of that which we have,” he said at the time.

The arena is 57 years old.

The RM of Hanover has also just released a request for proposals for a construction manager. The RFP is looking for a qualified person who can provide pre-construction and construction management services to the final planning and construction of the expansion.

“It’s nice to see the ball moving down the field here,” said Dawydiuk about the advancement of the project to the RFP stage.

The responsibility of the construction manager will be to advise on the construction, estimated costs, and work with sub-trades through an open book process. The manager will work with a project team consisting of representatives from the RM of Hanover, Verne Reimer Architecture, and a consulting team.

“Our intent is still to get construction underway in 2026,” said Dawydiuk. Construction is targeted to begin in March or April.

Candidates must submit their resumes to jpenner@vernereimer.com by 2 p.m. by Jan. 15.

For more information visit hanovermb.ca/p/employment-opportunities.