July 6, 2010

Town OKs increase to civic centre funding, if needed

Published on July 6th, 2010 – Truro Daily News 

By Jason Malloy

TRURO – Town council has put a contingency plan in place in case the province takes longer than anticipated to fund its share of the new civic centre.

Town council passed a motion yesterday authorizing its two civic centre steering committee members to be able to increase the town’s share of the project by up to $960,000. It is a 10-per cent increase of the town’s previous commitment of $9.6 million.

The town and Municipality of Colchester were surprised about a month ago to find out the province was not going to be able to meet the original timetable for paying its $10-million share of the project. The province said in a letter it would pay its full share by 2017, compared to the original timeline by 2012. The change would increase the project price by $1.8 million in carrying cost for the town and county.

Coun. Greg MacArthur, who is a co-chairman for the civic centre steering committee, stressed following Monday’s meeting the project’s budget has not increased. Steering committee members are trying to arrange a meeting with municipal relations minister Ramona Jennex to discuss the issue.

“If we get the $1.8 million settled, you shouldn’t need this money at all,” he told the Truro Daily News.

The funds enable the committee to continue to move the $50-million project forward, knowing the money is there if needed.

Some councillors voiced concerns about the project potentially coming in over budget and pushed the committee to ensure that doesn’t happen.

“Once we start spending the money, where are we going to stop?” asked Sharron Byers, the only council member to vote against the motion. “I have a great deal of concern as to whether or not is this the final (increase) and there’s nothing to indicate it is.”

The project will be tendered in segments, which also raised concern for Byers.

“Once this is started we won’t be turning around,” she said. “We can’t leave a building partially finished.”

Other council members were supportive of the request.

“We have an opportunity that doesn’t come by very often,” said Coun. Diane Bennett-Cook, referring to the $10 million the federal and provincial governments have each committed towards the project. “I think we have to trust our committee … They’re not going to put us in a position that we can’t fund this.”

MacArthur said the committee has a company working as its construction management firm for the project, which is hoped will keep the project on budget.