Major upgrades at St. Patrick's High School in Sarnia are going to be more expensive than initially planned.
During a special meeting on Tuesday, the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) approved spending close to $973,000 on gymnasium renovations.
They accepted a bid by Innovative Construction Services Inc. of Corunna for $821,000, which didn't include professional fees, inspections, sound system replacement, and taxes.
The total cost exceeds the board's initial estimate by nearly $283,000.
SCCDSB Capital Projects Coordinator Rachel Chortos outlined the scope of the work.
"We are putting in a drop down stage to alleviate the custodial team putting together that piece by piece stage manually every time there's an event," said Chortos. "We'll be refinishing and doing a new coating on the floor, new main court basketball nets, new wall mats, and painting throughout the gym. There will be a new sound system in the gym, we'll be adding some new lockers on the school side, and doing some painting and touchups throughout the school."
Chortos said there are a couple of reasons as to why the initial cost estimate increased.
"The masonry costs were a lot higher than what we had budgeted for," she said. "Our consultants had given us an estimate that we based the budget on. The mechanical and electrical costs were higher as well. We are replacing the ceiling fans and doing a little bit of ductwork revisions to make room for a new doorway from the corridor. Those pieces represent the majority of the gap."
SCCDSB Manager of Risk and Supply Chain Tony Prizio said the price increase is a sign of the current market.
"We're noticing this on other projects too, and other purchases that we're making," said Prizio. "Contractors out there are uncertain about the affects the tariffs will have on them. A lot of them are building in a bit of a safety net, we believe, on their prices to make sure they're prepared for any uncertainty in the markets."
Prizio said they're working with other school boards across the province to see if any savings can be realized, in the event tariffs are de-escalated.
Work was scheduled to begin at the end of June, with the hope of it being completed in time for the next school year.
The project will be funded through the board's annual School Condition Improvement allocation.