After serving the community for nearly 60 years, the Centennial Civic Centre will soon be demolished.
Read more: Civic Centre items to be auctioned off
The City of Lloydminster approved awarding the demolition contract to Silverado Demolition Operations Inc. for $544,000. Because the winning bid came in lower than competing tenders, some city councillors raised concerns about the scope of the work.
James Rogers, the city’s senior manager of capital infrastructure, said staff have worked with the contractor before and feel confident in the arrangement.
“We’ve worked with Silverado in the past. We’ve had these conversations with them and I had multiple (discussions) with Silverado administration,” Rogers said. “They are very competent in the scope of work, they are very competent in understanding what our expectations are, and are confident in their price to get it done.”
Rogers explained the city’s standard process includes contacting the low bidder to ensure all project requirements are understood.
“Our standard process would be to contact that bidder, ensure they understand the scope, ensure they understand our expectations, ensure that they have every addendum, that they know the process, (and) understand the project that they’re getting to,” he said.
Demolition work is scheduled to begin late this summer.
“Demolition for this project is anticipated to start in late summer of 2026 and is expected to be completed no later than October 2026, weather depending,” Rogers said. “We are targeting end of August, first week of September to start the demolition.”
Once the building is down, the excavation site will be backfilled with clay and prepared for eventual resale. The backfill material will come directly from another municipal project.
“Most of the clay that’s going to go back in the hole is coming from the development of Lake K, which as we know is behind the Cenovus Energy Hub,” Rogers said. “We did not have to buy clay material, which is a huge cost savings to the City of Lloydminster and our taxpayers.”
Existing greenery near the perimeter will largely be preserved.
“On the front side along 49th Avenue, we are going to try to leave as much grass in as possible. We are going to leave the trees in, right across from the golf course,” Rogers said, adding that trees directly across from the main entrance will also remain.
For Deputy Mayor Jason Whiting, the loss of the physical facility is tempered by decades of community history.
“I remember my first time in the Civic Centre. I remember the first game that I attended with my aunts way back in the day,” Whiting said. “(I) have a lot of memories in that facility. At the same time, I’ve also watched that facility go from a very fun place to be, to a place that has its challenges and has its costs and starts to look worn out.
“There will be, not just for myself, but a lot of community members, lots of memories that go down with them. Those memories will always be in the back of our minds and kept in other ways.”
Whiting added that moving on is a natural next step for the city.
“It’s nice to see this chapter close and the new one open,” he said.
Nearby residents will be notified prior to the start of heavy construction.
Read more: Council stands firm on demolishing Civic Centre
