Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Library budget balloons again

Signature resort building to open by the end of the year
1421libraryhoriz
The budget for the new Whistler Public Library increased again and is now up 39 per cent since 2005.

By Alison Taylor

A Whistler taxpayer took council to task Tuesday night before it considered yet another budget increase for the now $11 million public library.

Jim Duncan called the budget “totally out of control” during Tuesday’s question and answer period, and in no uncertain terms, voiced his concern over the approval of another $1.38 million budget increase out of taxpayers pockets.

“I am deeply offended,” said the Whistler Rotarian who has given $51,000 to the Whistler Health Care Foundation’s CT scanner project.

He did not, however, stick around to hear the council debate on the subject later that evening. And while council, too, was concerned about another budget increase, the money was approved Tuesday night in a four to two vote.

Councillor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden was absent.

Comments from the council table revealed that some politicians feel stuck between a rock and a hard place because the project, which is in the heart of the village, is too far along to turn back.

“We have to spend it because we can’t leave it as it is,” said Councillor Ralph Forsyth.

The library will be a landmark building in Whistler with its high-beamed ceilings, bright windows, airy open spaces and magnificent views. It will be at least a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver building, with a green roof for all to see.

But not every councillor was taken with the building on a recent site tour.

“I’m embarrassed by it,” said Councillor Bob Lorriman. “It’s beyond what I would consider we need in this community.”

However, the monster he called “cost escalation” is holding council’s feet to the fire. He voted to approve the increase.

There was a cautionary note to staff attached to Councillor Gord McKeever’s approval.

As he spoke of his regret in voting last term for a construction model that he said left the door open for price increases, McKeever reinforced the problems of building the library during the worst, most aggressive construction market seen in the last 50 years.

“The only way to avoid it is not to build,” he said. “This is not an option here.”

But the municipality does have options when it comes to the multi-million dollar municipal hall renovation and expansion, set to get underway this year.

Council approved a $5.7 million project in November, amid concerns about the hot construction market.

“That budget is firm, fixed, it’s set in stone,” warned McKeever.

If it appears as though the budget on the municipal hall renovations is growing then the project must be scaled back he said, adding that he would support using library space and putting up portables at Spruce Grove to accommodate staff rather than see the project go over budget.

He wasn’t alone in linking the two multi-million dollar municipal projects.

Councillor Tim Wake took a more proactive step.

“I believe we should take it (the library increase) out now of the budget to improve municipal hall,” he said.

And while he supported the increase to see the library completed he voted against the motion Tuesday night because it included plans to borrow money from a low interest loan (prime minus 1.5 per cent) from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Councillor Eckhard Zeidler also voted against the motion Monday. He took issue with the general discussion underway at the hall that would see the library building used by the municipality and its partners, the provincial and federal governments, as a hosting site during the 2010 Games. The understanding is the facility would be free for their use, explained Zeidler.

“There’s an opportunity here to earn some revenue on this,” he said.

“When we forego a revenue opportunity… we’re sticking the taxpayers with a cost.”

The library budget has gone up 39 per cent since it was approved in 2005. It is costing $660 per square foot to build, which includes all the building space apart from the underground parking lot.

It has faced the same problems seen in other projects built in the last three years — lack of skilled labour, lack of accommodation for labour, few companies bidding on portions of the projects and bids coming in higher than expected.

There have been three successive million dollar-plus budget increases in the last two years.

The new budget for the library is now $1.5 million more than the previous budget. Staff plan to save more than $100,000 in other parts of the project to bring the cost down to the $1.38 million approved by council.

Jim Duncan told council he had approached the RCMP to investigate but was informed there was no hard evidence to look into the books. He asked council for a forensic accounting of the books.

At the end of the evening the mayor dismissed those concerns, calling the suggestion of fraud “unsubstantiated.”

He stuck by staff and the construction company on the library.

“There has been a high level of scrutiny over the project,” he said.

“As you witnessed tonight, council decided to take no action on the accusation.”

And though he recognized Duncan’s concerns, he said council has not had much feedback on the library project from the community.

“We have not been hearing, really, from the community at large,” he said after Monday’s meeting. “I have to surmise that the community feels the same way as council does — they see this as a signature building, something we committed to, it’s better to finish it than to leave it unfinished. We’ve done everything we can.”