Paradise ready to serve final contract on volleyball courts

By Mark Squibb

The cost of hosting the Canada Summer Games beach volleyball competition in the Town of Paradise has drawn even closer to the million-dollar mark after council approved further construction costs earlier this month.
Council awarded the Beach Volleyball Competition Court construction tender to lowest bidder Weir’s Construction at a cost of $141,081, plus HST, during the May 6 committee of the whole meeting.
Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street explained that as the project is on a tight timeline, with the Canada Summer Games fast approaching, staff recommended that council award the contract at the May 6 committee meeting rather than wait until the May 13 public meeting so that work could begin as fast as possible.
Street said the Town received five submissions, with prices ranging from $141,081 to $247,100.
Council also approved $2,080 in additional engineering fees for the project.
Councillor Larry Vaters asked if the project was still within budget. Street said that according to the agreement between the Town and the Canada Games, the project was still within budget.
In response to an inquiry following the meeting, staff explained the host committee requires four volleyball courts: two practise courts and two competition courts.
In 2024, the Town built the two beach volleyball courts which will be used as the practice courts, as well as two additional courts, within Paradise Park. Those four courts cost a total of $400,000 and will remain a permanent fixture of the park. Only two are being filled with sand ahead of the games.
The two competition courts, meanwhile, will be located in the Paradise Park parking lot. Those courts will be temporary and following the Summer Games, the sand will be moved to fill the two empty courts at the permanent location.
Council awarded the construction contract for the four volleyball courts to lone bidder Modern Paving Limited in the amount of $399,786, HST included, back in July, over and above the purchase of $360,000 worth of sand that council purchased last December.
Factoring in those costs, along with a $51,517 engineering fee, puts the project at roughly $952,000.
Meanwhile, the Paradise Park parking lot will be closed from the start of construction (the week of May 19) until after the Summer Games are finished in August.
The Town of Paradise will also host Box Lacrosse. There will be no cost to the Town as the Canada Games Host committee will provide all required equipment.
Staff said the Town has committed to a maximum financial commitment of $1.1 million for the Games.