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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Restoration of the Wildcat Cafe is still expected to go over-budget - but not by as much as previously stated.

Councillor Mark Heyck explained that the $570,000 figure quoted in the city's 2012 draft budget was erroneous. That number has now been updated to $525,000. The restoration was originally expected to cost $496,200.

Heyck said the large discrepancy between the budgeted cost and forecast cost prompted city staff to meet with contractor Rick Muyres to review the project budget worksheet.

"What we discovered was that the additional foundation work that had to take place was accounted for twice in the project budget worksheet," said Heyck. "So it was broken out as a subcontracted cost but it was also included in the contractor's costs. So that amount basically was double counted."

The original project budget did not include the unforeseen cost of re-engineering a new foundation, a need that arose once the cafe had been disassembled and it was discovered that a slurry of silt lay beneath the building.

In July 2011, Mayor Gord Van Tighem told Yellowknifer that the project would stay on budget despite the problems, saying, "I guess they had a contingency plan for the foundation."

Heyck said the cost of engineering a new foundation in addition to "some other efficiencies we've found" has pushed the project about $25,000 over-budget.

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