The borough of Verdun already has started moving ahead with plans to build a beach along its southern shore that should accommodate 400 people. But the project has had to be scaled back due to running over budget.
The project was originally conceived back in 2014. After being altered and relocated, it is now slated to go in just behind the Verdun Auditorium, and is being built to coincide with the city’s 375th anniversary. But the lowest bidder submitted a bid 50 per cent higher than expected — clocking in above $5 million — meaning it had to be scaled down.
“We want a beach but not at any price,” said Verdun Mayor Jean-François Parenteau. “So we respect the budget we have, and that’s why we cut it down a bit.” But opposition councillors like Sterling Downing are concerned that the plan is being rushed through. “It’s poor planning,” he said.
Parenteau said the site could open to the public as early as August, but that the hard construction deadline the city is working with is by the end of the year.
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