Burke Mountain rec centre site work set to get rolling this summer

They’re looking for someone who can move the earth.

EllisDon Corp. is set to build the new Burke Mountain rec centre. But before they can fill the swimming pools, they’ll need to find a contractor who can undertake excavation and earthwork on the 2.5-acre site south of David Avenue and north of Fremont Park.

As the construction manager, EllisDon Corp. is handling the tendering process and receiving proposals on behalf of Coquitlam.

The company issued a notice of tendering on Wednesday in the hopes of finding a company that can handle temporary shoring, soil removal, as well as surface water and groundwater in order to prep the site for the 80,000 square foot community centre.

The job is slated to get going in July and be wrapped up by May 2027.

The sloped site includes a watercourse and three tributaries, “two of which will require reconstruction,” according to the notice. Tree retention is “not anticipated.”

The applicant also needs a minimum insurance rating of $10 million. The contractor also needs to have been continuously operating in the area for the past 10 years with a minimum of five similar projects completed with a value of greater than $10 million. The company must also not have been cited for safety violations or hit with stop-work orders over the past five years.

The tender is scheduled to close May 7.

The rec centre is tentatively set to be finished by 2029.

The complex is slated to include a six-lane pool, a double gymnasium, fitness centre, and a branch of the Coquitlam library.

The centre was initially slated to cost $152 million and open in 2027. Development money is set to pay most of the cost of the centre, with the city leveraging debt financing as needed.

Given recent tariffs and counter-tariffs, “the scale, duration, and specific goods affected continue to shift significantly,” according to a 2025 city staff report.

The centre and the nearby park will be mainly funded through development cash, with some debt financing set to be repaid through future development projects, according to a city staff report.

Owned by the city, the area was formerly zoned agricultural and rural. One lot in the area is reserved to protect Partington Creek and another plot of land could potentially be used for residential development, such as townhouses, or commercial uses ranging from a bar to a grocery store to a pet care service.

Based in Mississauga, Ont., EllisDon is an employee-owned construction company. Describing itself as a leader in working with governments via Public Private Partnerships, EllisDon built the retractable roof on the SkyDome, now the Rogers Centre.