Whitehorse, YT – The City of Dawson is moving forward on plans to build a rec centre following cost estimates putting the project 35 million over budget.
Last Tuesday the city council voted in favour of refining the rec centre plans to meet the 65 million dollar budget that the Yukon government set for the project.
The government has expressed interest in ensuring that the rec centre has certain ammenities such as an Ice Hockey Arena, two Lane Curling Arena and Concession Facilities.
Dawson City’s Mayor William Kendrick, says that there is a lot of work to be done in the months ahead in order to figure out how to deliver a rec centre that meets the wants of Dawson City residents while sticking to the budget. Mayor Kendrick highlights that he’s consious of the potential impact this project could have on residents and he dose not want the project to become a burden on the public.
“I don’t think the city wants to move forward with it if it’s going to saddle municipal taxpayer in such a way that it’s going to be unmanageable and unsustainable,” said Mayor Kendrick. “This is why the pencils need to be sharpened and we got to look at different options and we might want to reconsider some things.”
In the coming months tenders will be issued for a design team and a new design will be made for the project. The application for funding must be finalized by August of 2024.
