The installation of new stairway handrails in the Western Financial Place arena is set to begin as soon as next week.
“We actually have handrails built and they will be going in as early as next week. We’ve awarded the design-build and installation to a local contractor and they are going to install them as they’re made,” said recreation and culture director Trevor Thors.
Installation is expected to be done by the end of November, although depending on the contractor’s schedule they may be done sooner.
“You’ll see progress over the next couple of months as they get built and installed,” said Thors.
The new handrails were first brought to council in 2019, but the project continued to get delayed or postponed.
In April, the city found they would not be able to install the rails themselves and the project would need a lot of extra work.
“The initial intent was for city staff to install these,” Thors said.
“We had the stairs x-rayed and you can’t use a traditional type of drill, you would actually need to cord out, so it’s a special type of drilling and we don’t have that on staff.”
The project had a budget of $145,000.
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