Smither Town Council was presented with the concept design and business plan for the proposed combined building for the Public Library and Art Gallery.
The proposal presented at the Tuesday night council meeting featured a 12, 000 square foot building that is designed to be more efficient and meet the future needs of the two organizations.
Instead of approving the plan, a motion was unanimously carried for a “Committee of the Whole Meeting” to give the consultant a chance to provide answers to issues that Mayor Taylor Bachrach and the councilors had with the proposed numbers.
Bachrach said that the numbers “seem a little bit inflated and perhaps based on some assumptions that perhaps aren’t realistic.”
He added that in comparison to other municipal projects like the Smithers Airport renovation the projected cost escalation factor of over $3 million, “seemed quite a bit higher.”
The project is currently estimated to cost, with inflation close to $16 million.
Designed as a Passive House construction (energy efficient building) the report says the city would see a return on its investment after 12 years.
“With Passive House construction, energy costs are reduced by 85 per cent compared to standard construction,” the report states.
Despite there still being some question in the cost present for the project, Bachrach says the goal is to meet a grant application deadline for the beginning of January.
The provincial grant would provide 90 per cent funder for the project.
Something Bachrach says “for a small community like ours to potentially get 90 per cent funding for a major infrastructure project isn’t an opportunity that comes around very often. And so we did hear some sense of urgency on the part of council wanting to hit that January deadline.”