(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson County Nature Center project is still facing a shortfall in money needed to finish its interior.
John Walters of the Dickinson County Conservation Board told the board of supervisors Tuesday the shortfall stands at roughly 256-thousand dollars. That’s down from 311-thousand dollars when they initially met with the supervisors on the matter several weeks ago.
Walters Tuesday again queried the supervisors on the possibility of getting a bank loan to cover the shortfall, saying fundraising and grant opportunities are very questionable, at best. Outside of taking out a loan, Walters said their options are very limited. He says they’ll be forced to re-design and re-bid the project if they can’t come up with the money. He added they could cut 10 percent from the total project cost, cutting back on things such as cabinets, floor coverings and painting.
While the supervisors didn’t give a concensus on how they would feel about authorizing the Conservation Board to take out a loan, one, Mardi Allen, was conciliatory in her remarks. She said its imperative the supervisors and Conservation Board work together and stop finger pointing if the project is to proceed.
Allen said she’s also concerned over whether taxpayer money should be involved, siting the economic downturn and the impact it’s having on the county’s budget. She says they’re not sure how the 2009 fiscal year, which concluded Tuesday, is going to come in and whether or not they’ll be able to start off with what they had originally budgeted for the 2010 fiscal year as far as revenues go. Allen added it’s highly questionable if the county will be able to meet projected revenue for the upcoming fiscal year. Therefore, Allen says it’s crucial grant opportunities be thoroughly explored and that those who are interested in the project contribute to it.
Eckhart Construction, the general contractor on the Nature Center project, has agreed to keep its bid valid another couple of weeks while the Conservation Board looks for a way to come up with the needed money.
