Grey County issues construction tender for new Rockwood Terrace

The site has been prepped, the drawings are complete and Grey County has issued the tender for construction of the new 128-bed Rockwood Terrace long-term care home in Durham. The new state-of-the-art home will be constructed directly south of the existing facility.  

“Grey County is about to make the single largest investment into services in our County’s history,” said Grey County Warden Brian Milne. “Council is committed to moving forward with this important project which will ensure high quality, public long-term care remains available in southern Grey County for decades to come.” 

To narrow down potential contractors and speed up the tender process, Grey County issued a construction prequalification in 2023. This process helps to narrow down qualified contractors to bid on a project when a tender is released. Qualified bidders have until March 7, 2024 to submit a bid. Pre-construction sitework has been completed to allow the successful contractor to start work quickly once the tender has been awarded. 

Redevelopment costs for the entire project are currently estimated at $96.7 million. Actual costs for the construction portion of this amount won’t be known until bids are received and the tender is awarded. In addition to the County’s contribution, project costs are supported by the Province of Ontario based on the long-term care home redevelopment funding formula. 

“A lot of careful planning has been completed to get us to where we are today with a site that’s ready to go. We’re grateful to have had terrific support from the Municipality of West Grey, and great service provided by JT Excavating in preparing the site,” said Warden Milne. 

JT Excavating was awarded the pre-construction tender in the fall of 2023. Sitework included clearing and grading the property, managing fill, and creating the base for new roads and servicing to the property. The project also included work to prepare adjacent properties for future development.  

The current Rockwood Terrace long-term care home is reaching the end of its operating license and must be redeveloped to meet current ministry requirements. County Council voted to rebuild the home in Durham south of the current site and expand the number of long-term care beds from 100 to 128. The resident experience is the focus of all planning for the new state-of-the-art facility, with room design, community feeling, dining room experience and infection control as the key design principles. 

Construction of the home is expected to last two years with doors expected to open in 2026. 

Information about the Rockwood Terrace Redevelopment project can be found on the Grey County website at www.grey.ca/Rockwood-Redevelopment  

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For media inquiries contact Katrina Peredun, communications officer, at katrina.peredun [at] grey.ca (katrina[dot]peredun[at]grey[dot]ca) or call 519-370-7064.