TIMMINS - With the final beam going into place today, construction at the Golden Manor is entering a new phase.
The City of Timmins, EllisDon Construction, and the Golden Manor held a beam signing event at the construction site on Nov. 14 to prepare the final beam which was placed around 1 p.m. City council members, executives, Timmins MPP George Pirie, and staff and residents got to sign the beam to leave their mark on the new building.
“We’re getting into the next step where the focus is going to start looking like building the inside,” said EllisDon Construction Manager Brad Lacroix. “Getting the superstructure done is the foundation but obviously making it look a lot nicer and bringing it into shape is exciting to see.”
The anticipated cost to finish the project is $114.7 million, with contributions from the city and the province.
The province committed $36 million to the redevelopment project in 2022. The city increased the funding for construction costs by $6,212,583.42 when it received an update on the project in June 2024.
“I think you’ll see in the upcoming budget, quite a bit put aside for this project,” said Mayor Michelle Boileau.
The Golden Manor portion of the 2025 capital budget includes $2.6 million transfer to reserve for the projected and the projected construction costs for 2025 are $46.4 million, which is offset with funding.
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A fundraising committee is being formed to work with sponsors and donations for rooms in the building. There are two spots left on the committee and Mayor Michelle Boileau said they’re looking for volunteers with a connection to the Golden Manor.
”People will have the opportunity to sponsor rooms, to donate to purchase fixtures and furniture to fill in the building from this point on,” she said. “We’d like a family member, either past or present. Your loved one doesn’t still have to be living here, but if you have a special place in your heart for the Golden Manor, we’d be happy to have you on the committee.”
Details on the committee were said to be coming at a later date.
With the framing of the building complete, the next step is to put in exterior walls and windows and then work on the interior of the building.
“When we start the inside, it’s mechanical and electrical, any medical facility or long-term care facility, it’s very complicated,” said Lacroix. “You don’t see a lot of it from the outside, but there’s a lot going on.”
During the event, Pirie mentioned the importance of this project and its connections to the past, present and future in Timmins.
“We have the present, we have the elderly people here who have been living for some time, and you’ll see in the back there’s a gentleman here who is carrying a baby,” said Pirie. “That’s the future. We’ve got every generation here with us during this really important occasion.”
The baby in attendance was Boileau’s two-month-old son.
