Some big changes are apparent to regular visitors to Territorial Place because of major renovations to the interior of the mall.
This week a crane was seen lifting skylights onto the mall, and work on the interior is in the home stretch now, reports Pat Smith, general manager of Battlefords and District Co-op.
"Work on the interior is just finishing up," he said, referring to the "new building and new skylights going up" on the mall. He said all the work should be done within the next couple of weeks.
Work will commence on the roof of the mall in May, which should take about three months to complete and is expected to be done by September.
The cost of the interior renovation is $1.1 million, said Smith. Tenders have not gone out yet on the roof renovation, but Smith said that is estimated at between $1.5 and $2 million.
Smith describes the progress at the mall as "excellent," and noted "we're ahead of schedule by a month." Lyle Schell was general contractor for the mall renovations.
The changes have not been too disruptive to customers at the mall. Lately, Smith said, much of the interior work has been done at night, so customers have not been affected.
Smith says customers should be able to notice the changes to the interior of the mall, which include modern stonework and other amenities.
Once renovations are out of the way the Battlefords and District Co-op will be looking at other upgrades. One of the other projects will be replacement of the propane site at the gas bar. As well, parking upgrades are coming to control the traffic flow. Smith expects that will happen in about a year.
The annual meeting for Battlefords and District Co-op is April 25 at 6:30pm.
