The renovation of the town hall in Exloo will cost ten million euros. This is remarkable, because the city council had previously proposed a budget of five million euros. Councilor Jeroen Hartsuiker (VVD) informed the city council about this this evening.
The municipality of Borger-Odoorn was already considering the extensive renovation of the town hall in 2022. A necessary step, as the building is very outdated, has cramped workplaces and suffers from an energy management that is no longer up to date.
The renovation plans consist of constructing a new council chamber behind the central hall, creating new workplaces and making it more sustainable.
In October, Hartsuiker informed the council that the costs for the renovation would be substantially higher, but he did not mention exact amounts at the time. Tonight, council members were invited to catch up.
“We are disappointed with such a difference between budget and cost estimate. At the same time, we have to be realistic.” The Board and Council will therefore discuss this further in the near future.
Installation costs appear to be the main culprit, something Hartsuiker also indicated in October. Did the council miscalculate the renovation? Zuckerman: “A lot of wiring needs to be replaced and that is not a good thing.”
At the same time, costs in the construction sector have changed significantly and prices have risen considerably between 2022 and now, the councilor says. “The first estimate turned out to be too strict in that respect.”
The council will work with the council to consider various scenarios. Perhaps savings can still be made on the construction part or in installation costs, says Hartsuiker.
If agreement is reached on choices and amounts, a new proposal will be sent to the council. The councilor cannot yet say when that will happen. “We must first discuss what we want.”
The original planning can therefore also be jettisoned. Last autumn, the councilor expected to be able to start the renovation in May. “But I can now say with certainty that we will not be able to start.”