Introduction

The Township is developing a new multi-department Operations Centre in Fergus using a phased project approach. This will enable the Township to continue to effectively deliver services to meet the increasing needs of our growing community. The Operations Centre will be located on the newly acquired 20-acre parcel of land at 965 Gartshore Street, Fergus as illustrated on the map below. The Operations Centre will be built in 2 Phases.

Phase 1 of the facility will include building the exterior works yard and outdoor operations areas, the garage buildings including heated and unheated storage bays, workshop space, maintenance bays, 2 greenhouses and constructing the full office areas to accommodate space needs for the next 20 years.

Phase 2 of the facility includes additions to the heated and unheated garage areas, a salt storage and brine mixing facility with indoor loading and 2 additional greenhouses.

The new Operations Centre would include space for staff, vehicles, and equipment for the following departments:

  • Public Works
  • Water Services
  • Engineering
  • Planning and Development
  • Source Water Protection
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Forestry
  • Information Technology
  • Archives and Records Storage

Map showing the 965 Gartshore St., Fergus site location:


Site Development Study

Through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, the Township hired RDH Architects Inc. to complete the Site Development Study. This included the various survey’s, studies and reports required to support the construction of the Operations Centre. Through this process, the property was rezoned from Agricultural to Institutional to allow for the construction of the Operations Centre. As well, a conceptual design of the facility was completed which is included below. A copy of the Site Development Study report is attached.


Design Builder

An RFP was issued in March 2024 and closed in May 2024 to hire the Design Builder to complete the design phase of the project. This RFP was awarded to Ball Construction Ltd. from Kitchener, Ontario.

Current Stage - Operations Centre Site Development

As the design phase wraps up, the team is focused on issuing all the construction tenders in April 2025 for the construction of the Operations Centre. Once the tender results have been received, staff will present the Guaranteed Maximum Price to Council for approval.

Concurrently, a tender has been issued for tree removals on site which works have commenced and will be completed in early April 2025. A tender for the demolition of the farm buildings/out-building has been issued with plans for these works to get underway in late April/early May 2025. The existing farmhouse is not included in this scope of work and will remain on site.

Schedule

The key milestones, along with the anticipated timelines, are as follows:

  • Detailed Design - Complete in Spring 2025
  • Demolition of Existing Structures - Spring 2025
  • Issue tender for the construction of the Operations Centre - April 2025
  • Building Construction - Spriong 2025 to Late 2026/Early 2027