Bird Construction Inc. has been selected as the preferred proponent to carry out the Moncton Downtown Centre PPP project in Moncton, Canada.

The firm will have to design, build and finance the construction phase of the 250,000 sf facility, which will include a single NHL sized ice surface with more than 9,000 permanent seats and up to 10,000 seats to accommodate other events. The Downtown Centre also includes flex space, a club lounge, private boxes and a multi-use outdoor plaza facility.

Bird Construction expects to achieve financial close in late September and commence construction in the spring of 2016. The new arena is expected to be open by the fall of 2018. At this time, there can be no assurances that the company will receive a contract award related to the project.

Mr. Ian Boyd, Bird's President and CEO, stated:

"As a member of the business community in New Brunswick for over 20 years, Bird is proud to be selected to design and build the new downtown centre for the City of Moncton. When finished, this facility will be a destination attraction and play an integral part in the revitalization of the City's downtown core."

Moncton is a Canadian city located in Westmorland County in southeastern New Brunswick. The city has a population of about 70,000 inhabitants and covers 142 km². The underpinnings of the local economy are based on Moncton's heritage as a commercial, distribution, transportation, and retailing centre.