Moncton announces $7.2M in additions for downtown centre

The City of Moncton is spending an additional $7.2million for new features to the downtown centre project.

The space in front of the centre was originally going to have a plaza with concrete paving, a rink and a drainage basin.

But the city held public consultations in December wherecitizens said they wanted more.

The new features includes seating areas, a water feature, an education and environmental park and a recessed event oval and stage.

• Moncton downtown centre plans unveiled

Jacques Dub, the city manager,says the costs cover several projects.

"When you look at that $7.2million it includes about $2million more for the plaza, it includes $500,000 for some environmental remediation where we had actually anticipated $2million."

The plan includes extending Highfield Street out to Vaughan Harvey Boulevard to accommodate the new additions.

Catherine Dallaire,Moncton's manager of parks, leisure, culture and heritage,says some of the land not needed for the project will be sold or leased.

"The areas around the downtown centre,in other words the parcels that will not be required for this development, will be on the market and we hope to receive proposals to see developments occur in those places," she says.

Dub says the largest piece of land, which was part of the parking lot for the former Highfield Square, is worth $3.5million.

He says the city will be asking both levels of government for help in funding the plaza.

Dub says if that doesn't happen, there are other options.

"At that point it'll be a combination of debt financing and donations so we already have quite a large interest in people looking to support from a corporate perspective and a personal level as well."

But Dub says funding is on track for the $91.4-million centre which includes $48million from the federal and provincial governments.

"That funding model is all locked in now the funding is all in place. We're working against a model that will show that the net cost to the taxpayer is a debt of about $39million," he says.

"That's what we said in public a number of months ago and we're still on track to meet that objective."

Dub says the plaza project is expected to be finished at the same time as the events centre in 2018.