THERE are signs that the $248-million upgrading work to transform the Boscobel Aerodrome in St Mary into an international port of entry will overshoot its budget due to changes made midway into the project.

The disclosure was made by the Airports Authority of Jamaica’s Audley Deidrick during a meeting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee of Parliament on Wednesday and caused much distress to members.

Deidrick said the original budget of $248 million will be increased by $31 million, which is what it will cost to relocate power lines that it was discovered will “pose a flight impediment to aircrafts”. In addition, he said the cost will further spike because of additional work on the runway extension programme, which had not been envisaged in the original planning process. Also, a subsequent decision to move the terminal building instead of renovating it will also pose a problem to the aircrafts.

“The budget we established initially for this upgrade was $248 million… subsequent to that initial budget, additional amounts became necessary and the overall budget being utilised now to complete the project is $282 million. So far, $158 million has been expended with a further $124 to be spent,” Deidrick explained.

“The construction on the runway… was initially $17 million, but it subsequently increased because of additional earthwork. During the excavation process, major rocks were discovered and incurred additional costs for rockbreaking, which was not foreseen in the initial stages,” he told committee members.

Deidrick, however, said this segment of the project, which represented the major aspect of the upgrade and had to do with the extension of the runway by some 1,800 feet and installing runway lights, is slated to be completed by April this year.

“It is expected that at that time the aerodrome would become operational,” he noted.

Committee members were less than pleased. According to Opposition Committee Member, Dr Morais Guy, the cost overrun on the runway extension smacked of poor planning.

“Were initial studies done? Certainly if you want to undertake a project of this size, there must be engineering designs,” he said.

“It says here engineering design was budgeted at $1 million and it suggests that in the execution of this project in the conceptualisation stage, only $1 million was allocated and this is irresponsible as far as I see. It’s now gone to $9.8 million and who knows where it will end up,” a clearly put out Guy added.

Committee member Fitz Jackson said the plan to remove the terminal building instead of rehabilitating it as was originally planned was an indictment.

“You are going to spend $250 million on a project that involves international air travel and I would believe all the expertise would have to come to bear on the planning and execution process. You can’t start a project of this nature and when you are way down the runway you are told you have to stop and turn back because the terminal building cannot remain where it is. When this project is completed, the cost at the end is going to be presented as a cost overrun. In the instant case, it’s not that you spent more on the same item, it is that you spent significantly more on a significantly changed scope of work, but as a result of poor planning,” he said.

“I am appalled and I am worried because we are talking about a project that can bring the country’s reputation into disrepute. We are talking about international travel. I am now (also) worried because I don’t know what else in this project is inadequately prepared for. I don’t know what you can do to assure me that no more discoveries are going to be made as to what else is lacking in this facility,” Jackson added.

Committee chairman Wykeham McNeill said the planning seemed “to have been adhoc”. He added that it was even more distressing since aerodromes are not necessarily profit centres and could end up being a drain on the public purse.

The Government last March shelved plans for a new international airport for eastern, Jamaica opting instead to expand and upgrade the Boscobel aerodrome. It said the aerodrome is expected to attract operators of privately owned aircraft in significant numbers to the north coast, enhancing the tourism industry. The facility will allow private jet owners to land directly at the Boscobel Aerodrome, without having to go through either of the two international airports. Funding for the development was expected to come in part from the Airports Authority while $107 million of the amount would come from the Tourism Enhancement Fund.