The costs for the restoration of Montreal City Hall are still climbing and have now reached $182 million, a situation that greatly worries the opposition.
In 2015, the City estimated the cost of bringing the town hall up to standard at 22.5 million. Two years later, the bill had risen to 87.8 million, the City having found that it would have to replace the electromechanical equipment and the heating network, rather than just modernizing them. The following year, the bill increased to 116.4 million. Finally, last May, the administration announced that the costs reached 168 million due in particular to the increase in construction costs and the absence of tenders for certain works.
On Monday, the leader of the opposition, Aref Salem, revealed that an amount of 14 million had been added for furniture and equipment in information technology and that the bill now reached 182 million. “I think it’s a lack of planning,” he said. “I can understand that there is an increase in costs. This is normal in such a project. […] But it is very worrying what we are seeing. »
The head of heritage, Émilie Thuillier, argued that the project launched by former mayor Denis Coderre was limited to a simple upgrading of certain equipment at City Hall. “For us, City Hall is the heart of Montreal civic life. The project has evolved into an exemplary heritage restoration project and a citizen appropriation project for the town hall,” she explained on Monday.
The elected official indicated that the revised project included not only the replacement of electromechanical and ventilation equipment, but also the restoration of windows, woodwork and masonry as well as facilities to accommodate residents. “Now, citizens will have access to several places in the town hall and, above all, to the magnificent terrace which will be completely redone. We will therefore be able to allow the entire population to benefit from this extraordinary view to which only a few handpicked people during special events had access,” she said.
Émilie Thuillier also specified the offices and work rooms had to be adapted to work in hybrid mode in the wake of the pandemic. She maintained that, per square foot, the costs of restoring City Hall were similar to those of other projects such as the expansion of the L’Octogone library in LaSalle and that of the Maisonneuve library in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, or approximately $1,070 per square foot.
The work will be completed next year and the employees will be able to return to the building at the end of 2023. “We will be proud of this project,” insisted Ms. Thullier.
Built between 1872 and 1878, Montreal City Hall was ravaged by fire in March 1922. It was subsequently rebuilt and a floor was added. From 2008 to 2010, the copper roofs and cornices had been restored.