During excavation, it was discovered soil had been contaminated by furnace oil and a previous fire. The soil had to be removed at a cost of 20 thousand dollars with the provincial Environment Department insisting three monitoring wells be installed which brings the total cost to more than 32 thousand dollars.
It was also discovered some of the columns in the exterior walls were rotted because of moisture. Those columns were to be reused but, instead, will have to be replaced.
$140,000 was set aside by the city for contingencies like these.
