Tavares OKs nearly $3 million loan to cover cost overruns for wedding pavilion over Lake Dora

TAVARES ? The city's latest project to improve its waterfront, a Pavilion on the Lake for weddings and conventions, will cost nearly twice as much as planned, but city officials unanimously approved a loan Wednesday to cover the $3 million in cost overruns.

Council members agreed the pavilion will be the city's latest entrepreneurial success despite the revised $6.3 million cost. Tavares, population 14,000, has enjoyed a downtown renaissance with establishment of a seaplane base and branding itself as "America's Seaplane City."

"Some had said the seaplane base was a boondoggle, but it has been successful," Mayor Bob Wolfe said. "We take a gamble here and there, but I don't think this will be much of a gamble."

The pavilion will be a two-story, 8,000-square-foot building at the end of a 150-foot pier over Lake Dora that replicates a historic pavilion built in 1913 that was torn down in the 1960s. The building will feature two banquet halls, a catering kitchen and meeting rooms for rental.

Construction had been originally tallied at $3.4 million, but the pilings cost more than estimated because current regulations require concrete, rather than wood pilings, and the contractor discovered that the bedrock under parts of the lake were much deeper than anticipated.

Also, city officials upgraded the design, with a more high-tech window-glazing system, a geothermal heating and air-conditioning system and two elevators instead of one.

The city will take out a $2.7 million loan to cover most of the additional costs. City Administrator John Drury was optimistic the facility could make enough revenues to repay the debt and be self-sufficient.

Resident Jerome Wosika was skeptical. He questioned why the city didn't anticipate some of the costs, such as the requirement for concrete pilings.

"We should not be in the hospitality business, in competition with other facilities and businesses," he said. "The city should only be in the 'running a city' business."

llelis@tribune.com or 352-742-5927

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