An extra $200,000 in funding was approved for the Public Works Garage expansion in Loyalist Township.  Council was presented with the budget transfer request from the economic growth and community development services department at their Aug. 14 meeting.

The garage, located at 748 County Road 6, is being expanded to accommodate new truck bays, a larger workshop area, and new office spaces. Originally, the construction contract was approved by council at their Aug. 8 meeting. It had a total budget of $4,217,297, with a $300,000 contingency. Upon starting the project, it was found there was significantly more rock excavation needed than anticipated.

Along with this extra excavation, staff expect to see more unexpected costs. Staff noted they are committed to finishing the project within the lowest possible budget and will continue to look for savings in other project areas.

Project Supervisor Joseph Gratton explained how they regulate contingency spending.

"Because it's contingency, it's all unanticipated costs. There are some things that we would have to do. For example, the rock excavation for the pond in the parking lot is a must do, so we have to do that. So we'd have to find the savings somewhere else. We'd have to look at it on a case by case basis," said Gratton.

Final costs for the extra excavation are still being calculated, but are estimated to be approximately $270,000. This allocation of an additional $200,000 in development charges will be added to the budget to help cover the costs of the excess rock excavation.

The expansion falls under work outlined within Loyalist Township's current strategic plan. By helping with long term financial sustainability of municipal infrastructure, this initiative is aligned with strategic priorities set out in the plan.

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