Mordecai Richler gazebo could be finally ready in July

The five-year renovation saga of the Mordecai Richler Gazebo in Montreal's Mount Royal Park could be over for real in July, city officials say.

Announced in 2011 and commenced in 2014, the project has faced delays and cost overruns that saw its price tag nearly double to more than $700,000.

Renovations were supposed to be finished in the fall of 2014, but the deadline was pushed back as new problems arose.

Projet Montréal councillor Alex Norris said Mayor Denis Coderre had promised to have the gazebo finished last summer.

"He even told the media that he would come with a paintbrush, a can of paint and planks of wood to finish the job himself if it wasn't done. Well it wasn't done," Norris said.

Delays and new costs were also linked to the discovery of lead paint that had to be removed from the 1920s structure.

The city responded with lawyer's letters to the contractors, saying their estimates were unrealistic.

"We didn't get the expert advice needed to make decisions," said City of Montreal executive committee member Réal Ménard.

He said further delays were caused by lengthy discussions with the province, which has jurisdiction over the gazebo because it's a heritage structure.

That jurisdiction also means the province is helping cover some of the unforeseen costs.

Richler, who was born in Montreal in 1931, was known internationally for his literary talent and penned classics such as The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and Barney's Version, which were both set in Montreal and made into feature films.

But in some quarters of Quebec, his critiques of the province's nationalist movement earned him scorn.