Council has voted to spend $800,000 on the restoration of two city-owned historical aircraft, but matching funds must be in place within two years of the contract being awarded.
Richard de Boer, president of the Calgary Mosquito Society (CMS), said he’s confident his group would be able to raise the required matching funds on time.
“All we have to do is add up the value of the in-kind support that’s been pledged to us already and that will get us almost half-way to that total,” said de Boer.
“This is such a high sex-appeal project.
“The airplanes have such high profile.”
The Community and Protective Services committee decided last month to allow the static restoration of the vintage Hawker Hurricane and de Havilland Mosquito airplanes by a volunteer-based group who will get $800,000 cash from the city to spend on the project.
The project will now be tendered by the city and part of the condition of a bid is that the restoration must be overseen by professionals.
Council also decided that the required matching funds must be in place within two years of the contract being awarded.
De Boer said his group is ready to bid on the project because it already has written a 65-page package that includes a full restoration plan for both planes, with a timeline, professional project management and a complete fundraising plan.
Ald. Gord Lowe was against council’s decision and said he fails to understand why the city would spend $800,000 when a private restorer from the U.K. had offered to fix up the Hurricane and donate about $1 million in exchange for the Mosquito.
Lowe said the expenditure is an “absolutely” unwise use of taxpayers’ money.
“It’s foolish,” he said.
