Civic Operations Centre ready for Saskatoon Transit to move in

The new home for Saskatoon Transit is complete and on budget.

On Tuesday, city officials marked the end of the Civic Operations Centre’s construction two weeks ahead of schedule. Construction on the $154-million project began in January 2015.

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Saskatoon Transit will move into its new 450,000 square-foot facility in mid-January 2017. The state-of-the-art building has 27 maintenance bays, a full body shop and indoor storage for 224 buses.

“Our transit operations outgrew the old bus barns long ago, and our staff have been making do in cramped facilities for many years,” Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark said.

“This LEED-certified facility, built ahead of schedule and on budget, has perfect timing as we prepare to modernize Transit in Saskatoon.”

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The centre is also home to the city’s first permanent snow management facility. The facility’s 14 acre pad has the capacity to store up to one-million cubic metres and is expected to be operational next month.

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Integrated Team Solutions (ITS) led the design, construction, and financing of the project. ITS is a consortium comprised of EllisDon Capital Inc., Fengate Capital, EllisDon Corporation, and ENGIE.

The City of Saskatoon entered into its first public-private partnership (P3) with ITS through a competitive procurement process.

City officials estimate the P3 approach to deliver value for taxpayer dollars equivalent to $92.3 million over the lifecycle of the facilities compared to a traditional design-bid-build model.

“From the RFQ stage to where we are today, I couldn’t be more impressed with the execution of the Civic Operations Centre project,” said Jeff Jorgenson, the city’s transportation and utilities general manager, said.

“It’s a compliment that other Canadian cities and municipalities will be looking at our City’s first P3 project as a model of innovation and collaboration that will result in taxpayer value several years down the road.”

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ITS will maintain, repair and rehabilitate the site and buildings for the next 25 years. The city will assume responsibility for the facilities once the contract expires and will retain full ownership at all times.

The Civic Operations Centre is located in the southwest corner of Saskatoon between the CN Railway tracks and Valley Road.