A new bandshell in Petrolia’s Victoria Park is going to be a lot more than first expected.

But officials with the Petrolia 150 Committee – which is behind the legacy project which will include a new public accessible washroom – is confident fundraising will bridge the gap between the $200,000 of tax dollars already set aside for the project and the $438,000 price tag.

At the Oct. 12 meeting, Laurissa Ellsworth, director of marketing, arts and communications told council while there was interest in the project, only one builder submitted a bid – Wellington Builders out of Forest. And it was over double the cost anticipated.

“It was budgeted based on projects of a similar type list …when the budget was created. Unfortunately, as mentioned, things have changed at this point,” she told council. Councillor Ross O’Hara suggested the town was “asking for a lot of work from what we budgeted for.”

Ellsworth says the Petrolia 150 committee is confident the extra money can be raised to pay for the project through revenue generated at events and from merchandise sold through the anniversary year.

“I’m confident,” she said when asked if the goal was reasonable. She says the plan for fundraising is strong and “I can sleep at night.”