The Municipality of Chatham-Kent says construction is moving steadily on the new Chatham-Kent (CK) Community Hub in downtown Chatham, with a progress update headed to council this week.
Municipal staff reported the project is on budget, 28 per cent complete, and tracking without any known delays. The north extension, expected to house the council chambers, is complete, and the library extension and storage area to the south are also finished. With structural steel now complete, the municipality said the building is taking on its full form as it shifts into the next phase of construction.
Work is continuing on the exterior, plus electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems inside. The report also points to elevator structures, utility infrastructure, and other interior building systems still underway. Current tasks include ductwork, interior structural steel, mechanical and electrical rough-ins, fireproofing, concrete cutting and coring, metal stud framing on the first and second floors, and roofing.
Looking ahead, the next stages listed in the update include roofing, masonry stair construction, freight elevator refurbishment, spray foam insulation, and slab-on-grade concrete placement. For teams responsible for the masonry stair scope, that schedule is a reminder to stay tight on trade coordination, especially where stairs tie into slabs, elevator areas, and surrounding framing, so layout and access do not become productivity killers.
The update report says construction costs came in $3.6 million under budget at $39,280,323, with $3.4 million still set aside in contingency funds. Staff said the overall project budget remains $52.8 million, including more than $7 million in contingency funds that were described as best practice for a project of this size.
The community hub is scheduled for completion in early 2028, with transition planning expected to be communicated in mid 2027. Once open, it will bring the Chatham Civic Centre, the Chatham library branch, and the Chatham-Kent museum under one roof. The municipality said the hub will replace aging facilities, reduce long-term infrastructure costs, and avoid new property tax increases by relying on property sales, existing reserves, and long-term financing within the existing municipal budget.
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