A third of city council made a last-minute pitch against an increase in the recreation centre contingency budget Monday night, but it fell flat.
Council committee last week voted to increase the contingency by $850,000, representing a 1.6 per cent hike in the overall budget for the recreation centre, which is being built at 255 West St. S.
Coun. Mason Ainsworth implored his colleagues to not increase the contingency. By pre-approving it, he said, council is sending a message to developers who might want to work with the city in the future that they can “feel free to charge us more.”
If the initial contingency ($2 million) is exceeded, that would be the time to look at increasing it, he suggested.
Of that $2 million, $1,626,530 has been spent so far.
Coun. Ted Emond urged council to approve the additional funds, saying it would bring the contingency to a level “most major projects of this size would have.”
He was also worried about the possibility of a lame-duck council ahead of the municipal election in the fall (which limits the ability of council to make certain significant decisions) and what a delay in the decision on the contingency would mean if that’s what council were to become.
“We’re already delayed. I don’t want to see a further delay,” Emond said.
Coun. Sarah Valiquette-Thompson echoed Ainsworth’s concerns, noting the reason the city went with a lower contingency budget is because it had already spent a significant amount of money before deciding to build on West Street.
“We can certainly hold off on an $850,000 increase,” she said. “That does concern me. If we are going to enter into a lame-duck council, we can call a special meeting before that time ... and make a decision.”
Ainsworth, Valiquette-Thompson and Coun. Rob Kloostra voted against the motion, so it was approved in a 6-3 vote.
Coun. Ralph Cipolla made a last-ditch effort of his own, requesting the proposed name of the facility — Orillia Recreation Centre — be changed to Orillia Recreation Complex.
He brought forth the suggestion after hearing from a resident who said “complex” better represents the project.
Emond argued it could cause confusion among visitors, who might end up at the West Orillia Sports Complex when they intend to go to the Orillia Recreation Centre.
Cipolla said “centre” makes it sound like a shopping mall.
“To me, it’s not the name that’s important; it’s what inside,” Cipolla said.
Despite that, he called for a recorded vote on his amendment to change it from “centre” to “complex.” He was the only one who voted in favour.
After council’s decision Monday night, the overall budget for the recreation centre became $53,940,000.
