Residents and taxpayers will get their first chance to comment on a new concept plan for the proposed multiplex redevelopment project prior to summer.
At their meeting Apr. 14, Sylvan Lake councillors unanimously approved awarding a contract for architectural services to CEI Architecture of Vancouver in an amount not to exceed $1.3 million.
That’s up considerably from the budget of $466,000 approved earlier this year, due to the expanded scope of services from design only to all architectural services required to building or facility completion, said the town’s project manager, David Yee.
He added the fee is based on construction cost of up to $18.9 million. A negotiated fee would be added if the construction budget was higher than that.
As a result, councillors also increased their budget to $900,000 in 2014 and $400,000 in 2015.
CEI Architecture was chosen following a request for proposal which saw 19 firms from British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario submitting documents.
A committee of three administration staff evaluated the proposals and narrowed the list to four who were invited to make presentations. These included CEI, IBI Group of Edmonton, Sahuri and Partners Architecture and S2 Architecture, both of Calgary.
Asked about public involvement in creating the concept, Yee said a three-day design charette with stakeholders, architects and town staff is included in the proposal “to really define the project, drill down what we want in it. It’s important to nail down what the needs are, what the wants are.”
He expected a concept design by mid-May with the first public engagement in May or June.