The price tag to renovate the old Centennial Library next to Jubilee Park has nearly doubled and will now cost up to $1.3 million.
Council voted Monday to spend up to that total to fix up the old library and add office space, a community meeting room, and an ice cream and coffee shop. Last fall, council had approved a project budget of $700,000.
But a new design that will create separate offices, along with space for Tourism Abbotsford and the UFV CityStudio collaboration, will bring with it a larger budget.
The renovation requires upgrading the mechanical and electrical system to allow for multiple users, which Mayor Henry Braun said contributed to the increased cost.
The library was built in 1967, but has been closed since 2012. The Abbotsford Downtown Business Association had once planned to move into the library, but that never transpired.
It’s expected work would be finished by the fall.
Council unanimously approved the new budget, although Coun. Sandy Blue said she was disappointed to see the costs rise.
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