Work on TBCC condo project to speed up
Thunder Bay Country Club Developments is getting help from a national construction firm to help its luxury condominium project get back on track.
Dowland Contracting has joined local developer Robert Zanette’s team to advance work on construction of The Club Residence at the Thunder Bay Country Club.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Dowland,’ said Zanette, who is president of Thunder Bay Country Club Developments.
“I’ve worked with some of their people on past projects and they are ideally suited for a project of this size and scope,” he said.
“This is Thunder Bay’s most luxurious condominium project to date, and we needed a construction company with a sterling national reputation like Dowland in order to progress the work onsite as quickly and safely as possible.”
Work on the project had slowed over the past month, Zanette said, while tendering for construction management of the project was being finalized.
“With this big project as well as others on the go, we took the prudent route and brought in Dowland to manage the construction end of things,” he said.
“We are (currently) about six months behind where we would like to be, though we will be making up lost time with the addition of Dowland,” Zanette said, adding that “the project should be complete about 16 months from now.”
The project, which began in January on the picturesque Golf Links Road property, has generated major excitement, the company said, appealing to more than 40 prospective buyers in the first two months of availability.
Known for large-scale projects in Western Canada and the Arctic, Dowland brings more than 25 years of national-level construction experience combined with prominent talent on a local level from its chiefs of the Ontario Division: Don Wing and Ray Williamson.
“Robert Zanette is Thunder Bay’s premiere condo developer,” Wing said.
“We have been hired as the construction management company and will be bringing our team in to basically pull together all aspects of the construction project.
“We’re working with all the sub-trades to make sure it gets delivered safely, on time and on budget.
“I’ve been involved with many condominium projects in Thunder Bay and feel this condo project is by far the best location I have seen. Truly one of those projects you dream about with its great location and unparalleled luxury,” Wing added.
With the addition of Dowland, construction at the site will accelerate in the coming weeks, and demand for the condominium project is expected to follow suit, Club Developments says.
The Club Residence will include 88 luxury suites featuring modern decor steeped in a natural setting. The project includes construction of a state-of-the-art clubhouse, gym and restaurant for use by residents and members of The Club.
A limited number of suites are still available. For more information, visit www.theclubresidence.ca or call 1-807-344-5038.
The construction site was shut down for a time in April while Ministry of Labour officials investigated a fatality there.
The ministry issued two orders against city construction company LTL Contracting, (a subcontractor on the project) after a 31-year-old employee was hit April 9 by a dump truck as it was backing up.
The ministry orders said that heavy trucks and other mobile machinery operating at the construction site must be guided by human signallers whenever a driver’s view is obstructed, and that LTL has to ensure that all trucks and mobile equipment not operate in reverse “unless there is no alternative.”