Seven truckloads of contaminated soil have been removed from 44 Joseph St., the future home of the West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre.
Officials say soil samples taken from the back of the site, adjacent the hotel property, were found to have heavy metal contamination.
According to project manager Andy Gordon, officials had estimated around 4,200 cubic meters of material would need to be removed to prepare the site. The project has seen over 8,000 cubic meters removed so far.
Gordon also says crews encountered bedrock at a higher level than expected.
“We are quantifying what that means with regard to bedrock blasting,” he said.
According to Gordon, crews are working to survey area buildings and vibration monitoring is being put in place, in anticipation of blasting being needed.
An update will be provided when the project board next meets on June 12.