By Rhonda Massad
www.thesuburban.com
Even though Mayor Marc Demers admits that Laval’s long-awaited sports complex will be much more expensive than was claimed by his predecessors, the city will move forward with the project.
The complex is slated to house three ice rinks. It will include a 10,000-seat amphitheatre, a 2,500-seat Olympic-size rink and a 500-seat community rink. The building will also contain 46 corporate spectator boxes.
According to Mayor Demers, the project has soared from $156 million to $200 million due to costs that were not by the previous administration.
“The actual cost of the building is not $120 million as was declared by the last administration,” Demers explained in a statement, “not to mention that there was no provision for parking or concessions.”
“The time for hiding is over,” implored Demers. “[Place Bell] is a good project that will bring economic benefits to the city, but people need to know the cost.”
The city said that it will monitor all contracts closely to ensure that they conform to the law and that the winning bidders adhere to the price that they bid.
Councillor Vasilios Karidogiannis told The Suburban that it is time for the provincial government to step up and contribute to the project.
“They paid half the cost of building similar sports complexes in Quebec City and Trois Rivières,” he complained. “We deserve to be treated equally.”
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