Dieppe aquatic centre budget climbs $1.8M
Published Friday November 21st, 2008
Total budget for sports complex now $16.2M, $5M more than original estimates
BY NICK MOORE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF
More money will be needed to complete Dieppe's aquatic centre and sport complex with an extra $1.8 million called for in next year's proposed capital budget for the city. The project's revised budget to date totals $16.2 million, almost $5 million more than what city council originally asked to borrow in 2006 when they made a request for $11.3 million to fund the project from the Municipal Capital Borrowing Board.
RON WARD/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
Dieppe has added an extra $1.8 million to its proposed capital budget to cover costs associated with the city’s aquatic centre. Total budget for the sports complex now stands at $16.2 million. Since that initial request was made the development's budget has taken millions of dollars out of the city's capital budget each year since and it appears that will be the case until the aquatic centre is scheduled to open next year.
Mayor Jean LeBlanc said the current council is simply finishing what the last elected city council started with the file.
"All this council is doing is dealing the cards we were dealt to build this aquatic centre," he said, adding the sitting council wasn't blindsided by the additional cost because it was known last spring by the council, before the May municipal elections.
"The last council decided to vote for only $800,000 in funding because it was required," said LeBlanc. "Otherwise the project would have been stopped."
LeBlanc said last spring's council wanted to wait until the election was over before deciding how to tackle the rest of the money needed for the project.
Of the $1.8 million needed to finish the aquatic centre, city documents show $100,000 will go towards installing pipes in the facility
while $430,000 will go towards purchasing a giant pirate ship, a slide and other aquatic equipment for the interior.
About $390,000 will go towards the purchase of other materials for the exterior such as shrubs and terrace tables that will dot the facility. About $250,000 will cover furniture covers and windows, security costs during construction and telephones and other communication devices currently set up on site.
Mayor Jean LeBlanc said the extra costs were oversights from when the budget was first presented but he was confident this $1.8 million would be the last chunk of money needed to complete the centre.
"We've done our very best to make sure these costs would do everything needed to cover the physical structure and the surrounding landscaping," he said.
C ouncil voted 7-1 this month at their last regular council meeting to have the municipality manage and operate the aquatic centre and sports complex. It will cost between $700,000 and $800,000 annually to take on the challenge with staff salaries included in the figure.
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