The city’s new parking garage will be built without an elevator and without brick piers

Butler officials said Tuesday night said that those additions would push the project over its budget.

Because of that, city council voted not to include an elevator in the garage, which will cost an estimated $4.6 million.

“We just don’t have the money for it,” said Councilman Richard Schontz Jr. “We don’t have a choice.”

The city also will not include brick piers on the structure, which would cover the steel piers.

The elevator would add $275,000 to the project while the brick piers would add $140,000. Both were bid as alternate pieces of the structure.

The total price of the garage with the elevator and the piers would be $5.1 million. The city authorized itself to spend up to $7 million through a bond issue.

However, the city also budgeted about $1.8 million of that bond to pay off the parking authority’s existing debt. It also will spend $311,000 on the West New Castle bridge replacement project, which is under construction.

“We’re in a quandary with the elevator,” said Mayor Tom Donaldson. “The problem is, the project would be close to $1 million over our original estimate. We’ve gotten closer to that $7 million than we originally intended.”

Donaldson did say it was possible for the city to add an external glass elevator later.

Council also postponed awarding bids for the 239-space garage until next month due to delays with the companion hotel project. The city had expected to award the bids on Thursday.

Donaldson said the city cannot award the bids until J.S. Capitol Construction, the developer of the proposed Marriott Springhill Suites hotel next door, finalizes its deal to buy the property from the city redevelopment authority.

The city plans to build the garage as part of the Centre City project, which includes the hotel and the already-completed Rite Aid pharmacy.