Surrey city council awarded a $2.5 million contract to Jacob Bros. Construction Inc. on Monday night to rebuild Strawberry Hill Community Hall, a heritage building in Newton that was all but destroyed by fire two years ago.
Council voted on the $2,525,775 contract on July 24, with a spending limit set at $2,841,877.50. The work will also cover parking and landscaping. Six submissions were received.
Built in 1909, the hall burned down on April 29, 2021 as it was being renovated at a projected cost of $1.2 million. Located at the corner of 75 Avenue and 121 Street, it was one of Surrey’s oldest community halls, listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places (historicplaces.ca). That project involved moving it a few metres away from the street corner, in an effort to make the intersection safer for motorists and pedestrians.
Coun. Harry Bains said public consultation through the Focus Newton Task Force over the past month and a half revealed Newton residents want meeting places, “so I’m excited to see the contract being awarded so this community hall, this work can move forward.”
Coun. Doug Elford echoed that.
“I too am very pleased to see this moving forward,” he said. “It’s been sitting there for a long, long time and many of the community is wondering when it is going to get built up.”
READ ALSO SURREY NOW & THEN: Replica hall considered after ‘accidental’ fire ruined renovation plans
– file by Lauren Collins
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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