Work set to start on Capital Pointe site

After years of wrangling and delays, the Capital Pointe hole is about to be filled.

The City of Regina issued a media release Friday saying that work is to start Tuesday at the corner of Albert Street and Victoria Avenue “to restore the site to safe conditions.”

The lot, which was to be the site of a condominium project, has been an empty hole for years.

The plans for the condo project were proposed in 2009 with a completion date in 2015. That never happened, leading to legal action from the City of Regina against the developer.

In late May, the city announced it had hired a contractor to fill the hole. In Friday’s release, the city said the goal is to have the work done by October.

The city said work is to take place weekdays, but it may need to be done on weekends.

Trucks are to haul soil into the hole from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. The trucks are not going to be in the downtown during peak traffic hours (7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

The trucks are to line up in the northbound curb lane on Albert Street south of Victoria Avenue when they’re delivering soil to the site.

The contractor will pack down the soil and remove shoring components during the day.

The city reminded residents that sidewalks around the site will remain closed until October.

According to the city, the cost of the project is to be the responsibility of the developer, Westgate Properties Ltd. It will be added onto the site’s property tax.

The city says the contract to do the work was for $2.6 million, plus a contingency of $390,000.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a corrected version of an earlier story, reflecting a different start date for the work.