The town of Smooth Rock Falls is delaying its start of construction of a seniors’ apartment complex. Mayor Sue Perras (like Paris) says they had hoped to have the project out to tender and shovels in the ground this year but the cost of building supplies has been a problem.
“As you know, the cost of lumber and steel really skyrocketed during COVID so it brought our budget way overboard,” she said. “So we are hoping in January when we resubmit to tenders that the cost will go down and that project will proceed.”
Perras says the construction price tag has increased to almost $300,000 per unit. The project includes the construction of eight housing units near the Smooth Rock Falls Hospital.
She adds that they even turned to the Cochrane District Social Services Board for assistance after the provincial and federal governments denied funding requests.
“Local DSSAB doesn’t have a lot of funding right now for the type of units that we are looking at building,” she said. “Since we are not looking at buildings that are based on income, we are looking at market rent and they have no funding right now for that.”
