Olds has an arrangement with Shunda Consulting and Construction Management Ltd. that allows the company to keep building materials on a portion of town-owned land while construction is underway on Olds College's Centennial Village residence.According to Tanya Kure, project manager for the company, Shunda was allowed to keep lumber in the north corner of the parking lot at the Olds Aquatic Centre following a July 15 meeting with the town and a representative from the pool.“The town is actually being amazingly cooperative with us. I think everybody understands what we're trying to accomplish there and that is a small site and a large building,” Kure said. “We're trying to keep everybody safe and keep everything confined.”Michelle Honeyman, manager of community development with the town, was present at the meeting and said Shunda needed the space to drop off materials and access the construction site.“The lumber that they have there wasn't in the way at the time so we're just working with Shunda to make sure … our ramps don't get blocked so we still have entrance to the building,” Honeyman said.“They don't have a huge construction storage spot so it is outside the fence. But at this time it was either that or they could put it in the flower bed. We don't want to see that happen.”As construction on the new four-storey, 450-room building progresses, the supplies should be in the parking lot for another month at the most, Kure said.“Once it's used up, the lumber's dwindling as the building's being built,” she said. “Certainly once we get inside the building, we wouldn't be storing anything there.”The presence of the lumber has not impacted the public's access to parking space, Honeyman added.“It's not that it's limiting our parking. We're never full to capacity so it's probably safer to park on the west side of the building.”[email protected]
