The visitor’s centre at Heritage Ranch will be closed from Jan. 14 to May 31 for renovations.
It means washroom facilities and food services at the centre won’t be available during that time for visitors to the park.
But the trails will remain open for use and sleigh rides will be available.
Shunda Consulting and Construction Management Ltd. has the $1-million contract for the project.
“They will probably start fencing the site this week, but physical work probably won’t happen until the 14th,” said Jerry Hedlund, project superintendent with the City of Red Deer, on Wednesday.
He said when the project went to tender in the fall, bids came back over-budget so the city cancelled the tender and negotiated with the contractor who had the lowest bid.
“We cut back on the scope of the work to get to a budget that was workable for all parties.”
A lot of the money will be spent on updating and adding a 35-square-metre addition to the kitchen, he said.
“It was in real tough shape. It was actually more of a residential-style kitchen than a commercial-level kitchen. We’re reorganizing and giving them much-needed storage.”
Improvements will be made to the washrooms so they will be barrier-free with energy-efficient fixtures.
A little more space will also be added to one of the decks for the outdoor grill.
Hedlund said a small office will be located in the tack building so people can continue to contact ranch staff.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com