Taxpayers frustrated by the rising cost of Orillia’s proposed recreation complex will have their say during a “town hall” meeting being spearheaded by a local residents’ group.

“Sick” was the feeling that washed over group member Cathie McBride after learning the project’s estimated price tag had surpassed the $60-million mark

“Orillia needs recreational facilities, but with a city of under 31,000 people, we cannot fathom how we, the taxpayers, can possibly afford this proposed edifice to be built on a highly contaminated brownfield,” McBride said in a letter to Orillia Today.

Councillors last week learned the project’s estimated cost – previously pegged at about $57 million – had risen to more than $63 million.

Escalating construction costs – the result of continued delays in the project’s start date – account for the majority of the increase.

Residents attending the public forum in early March will have an opportunity to “express concerns, ideas and suggestions as we work to develop solutions,” McBride said.

“The public has to have a chance to have a say about this,” she added in an interview Tuesday.

Based on the outcome of that meeting, the group will likely approach council with a recommendation regarding the price and future direction of the project.

The recommendation could involve scaling back the project, “or moving it, or moving parts of it,” said McBride.

Addressing the underground contaminants that litter the former industrial property will add to the bottom line, she said.

“We are not against recreational facilities at all, we are really concerned about environmental concerns and the cost,” she said.

McBride said dozens of downtown businesses have agreed to post flyers informing customers of the upcoming meeting, to be held at Twin Lakes Secondary School on March 6 at 7 p.m.

All but one of the merchants recently approached by group members welcomed the opportunity to advertise the event, she added.

“Most store owners knew what we were talking about, and they were interested,” she said, adding that many expressed concern over the project’s cost.

However, Coun. Ralph Cipolla said the $63-million figure “is definitely not carved in stone.

“We wait for the tender prices to come in and have a serious look at it,” he said.

“If it comes past a certain number, we have to look at every aspect, every program. The (design of the) building is pretty well set, but we can look at the outside (components).”

A potential slowing of the economy could work in Orillia’s favour when the time comes to build, Cipolla believes.

“If we go to tender at the right time of year, I think it will be to our advantage,” he said.

“We can probably cut a substantial amount off (the estimated cost).”

Construction of the recreation complex could be underway by spring if the province approves a crucial safety plan, the project's manager said recently.

The city was scheduled to hold a public meeting yesterday evening to invite public input on the municipality’s 2008 budget.