Plans are moving forward—a year earlier than planned—to add a third sheet of ice to the new Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex.
That’s because Warner Bros. will be wrapping up production on their set a year earlier than scheduled. Warner Bros had a contract until Sept. 30, 2025, to use the film set they built on the northeast corner of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. The famous film and entertainment studio recently informed the city they’d be out by September, 2024.
As such, Surrey City Council voted to approve Corporate Report R153, regarding site works for the new ice surface, at its regular council meeting July 22.
The report, from both the Social Infrastructure and Community Investments Department and the Engineering Department, recommended council delegate authority to the City Manager until Aug. 30, 2024, to increase the expenditure authorization limit for Contract No. 1220-030-2021-046 with Graham Construction and Engineering (GCE) for site preparations for a third sheet of ice. The increase was granted under the three conditions—that GCE get three quotes for site prep work, that the increased limit only goes as high as the lowest quote, and that city council be kept up to speed on the whole process.
Corporate Report R153 was somewhat unique, in that it also included another item for the City Manager to award. The manager was granted the provision, also only until August 30, 2024, to award Contract No. 4824-027-11 for Fry’s Corner Drainage Pump Station improvements. The awarding of the contract was also subject to three conditions—that the contract be awarded to the lowest bidder, that the contract amount fall under available funding in the 2024 Engineering Drainage Utilities Budget, and that city council be kept up to speed on the whole process.
Scott Neuman, engineering GM, and Terry Waterhouse, social infrastructure GM, co-wrote the report.
So far, Surrey City Council has awarded six contracts to GCE for the new Cloverdale rink. Contracts have covered all aspects of the construction: pre-engineered metal building structure, supply and installation of foundation piles, formwork, reinforcement steel, concrete supply, electrical, mechanical, ice plant refrigeration, elevator, building envelope, interior finishes, retroplate flooring, landscaping, roof anchors, and miscellaneous steel.
“In order to provide a level site for construction of the third ice sheet, existing fill material needs to be removed from the site,” Neuman and Waterhouse wrote. “Staff are currently working with the architect and consultants’ team to establish the volume of material that needs to be removed, and Graham will then obtain quotations for the work.”
The city estimates costs for the site prep work to end up at about $3.3 million.
The pair noted in the report it is urgent to remove the mound next the current Cloverdale arena construction site in the summertime as the dirt is fairly dry and not saturated with months of rain.
“It is also beneficial to complete the removal ahead of the first two sheets being operational next year,” Neuman and Waterhouse explained. “Following completion of the site preparation works for the third ice sheet, geotechnical investigations will take place that will inform the design of the third ice sheet.”
Site prep and mound removal will begin in early August and the city expects it to be finished by October, 2024.
On this new timeline, city staffers anticipate the third ice sheet will open by the summer of 2027.
City Manager Rob Costanzo will also be looking to award a contract for improvements at Fry’s Corner Pump Station. The station, northwest of 176th and Fraser Hwy, needs a sheet pile drainage cut-off wall. The wall is needed to prevent seepage issues from the underside of the pump station and within the immediate dike area itself.
“As the needed sheet pile wall installation work will be completed within the Serpentine River, the work must be completed during the summer months when water levels in the Serpentine River are generally lower and during the provincial in-stream work window,” Neuman and Waterhouse wrote.
The work on Fry’s Corner is expected to begin in August and finish up within eight weeks, before the end of September.
The city estimates the cost to build the sheet pile drainage cut-off wall to be about $2 million.
Funding for the site prep for the Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex is available within the approved budget in the 2024 Five Year Financial Plan (2024-2028) - Capital Program.
Funding for drainage wall at Fry’s Corner Station is available in the approved 2024 Engineering Utilities Budget.
