Demolition costs nearly double to $450K for former Belvedere orphanage

It will take longer and cost more than expected to demolish the old Belvedere orphanage building in St. John's.

• St. John's council to spend $240Kon demolition of formerBelvedereorphanage
• FormerBelvedereorphanage in ruins after St. John's fire

The historic property was gutted by an early-morning blaze in April. In September, St. John's city council awarded a tender,to knock down the remaining shell of the building.The site is near twoschools.

ButBreensaid the company that won the job couldn't complete it, so council had to go to the next-lowest bid.

That means the cost of the work will nearly double to around $450,000.

"We were really hoping to have the work done by now, because it is very important," Mayor Danny Breen told CBC News.

"The building is deemed to be a safety issue."

Taxpayers are footing the bill at least for now.

"We have an extremely good opportunity to recover that money, but it may take some time," Breen said.

"This has to work through the courts and the various other proceedings that are in place. So for now, we'll pay for it and then recover the money from the property at the end of the process."

A recent CBC News investigation found that the property is tangled up in millions of mortgages and debts.