S. Boston Convention Center Over Budget?

BOSTON South Boston developers debate whether the proposed convention center, scheduled to open in 2003, can be built for the budgeted $750 million. Observers knowledgeable about the project speculate that at least another $50 million might be needed for construction. An overrun on that scale would probably require the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority to return to the Legislature to request a supplement. The updated budget is to be derived from three separate reviews underway. Those are being done by the construction manager, led by Clark Builders; the owners representative, Tishman Construction; and the accounting firm KPMG, brought on last summer to do a management study that would check the project for waste and fraud. Currently the steel contract is $11 million over budget, and construction costs are increasing at double-digit rates this year, which is intensifying doubts as to whether the $750 million is enough. (12/28/00) Source: Boston Globe