Comment
Builders
Something seems off. Construction projects, perhaps by definition, tend to defy even the most earnestly prepared plans and schedules. Pencil drawings meet hard earth. Unexpected issues arise. So contingency allowances are created—to cover both time and money. Yet they never seem to be enough.
There is, however, no excuse or extenuating circumstances—at least none that is plainly visible to the neighbours on Niles Street—that explains the mess that has become of the tennis courts and surrounding playgrounds in Wellington.
Construction crews arrived at the end of May to rehabilitate two municipal courts. It is now the fourth week of August. Word is that it won’t be ready for another couple of weeks.
Perhaps not a big deal—tennis players in the village will manage. But it doesn’t excuse the mounds of trash and waste that have piled up on the grounds surrounding the court. It is beyond an eyesore—the waste and construction materials obstruct the playground equipment and generally makes it an unpleasant place to be.
It raises other questions.
How long does it take to resurface a tennis court? Who is overseeing the work? Do we know the work is being done well? On time? On budget? Who is ensuring the site isn’t a threat to the children who play in the adjacent park? Or has the municipality taken the view that the liability risk belongs to the contractor— and that it absolves the County of any responsibility? It seems a cockeyed method of project management.
Small beer for sure. But here’s the thing, if we are struggling on small projects—projects we can see and measure based upon our personal experiences—what does it say about bigger projects? What does it tell us, if anything, about the $10 million the County spends each year improving its infrastructure? If we are fumbling little projects, what do we know about the ones we can’t see, or measure?
Rising lake levels, a year ago last spring, caused considerable damage to the sea wall at Wellington Park. It compelled the County to fence off the water’s edge of the park and the stairs leading down to the shoreline. It was liability issue.
Repairs were supposed to be made in the spring—but water levels were determined to be too high then. Now, however, as we roll into another season the ugly and intrusive barrier in the public park is becoming a permanent fixture. There is no word on when this work will get underway. A few more months and this project will slip into next year. Another council. Another budget.
A $180,000 washroom/changeroom in Ameliasburgh (see The Times August 1, Comment).
To be sure, the challenges of lingering, eyewateringly expensive government construction projects are not unique to the County. For example, why on earth does it take the better part of two years to repair the ramps to the 401 at Wooler Road? Or to replace the bridge over the Murray Canal?
So, it was against this backdrop that County council considered a proposal, last week, from a volunteer organization, seeking to undertake the restoration of the Millennium Trail, from Bloomfield to Picton. Their proposal on a perkilometre basis was considerably less than the bids received by the County.
These aren’t folks walking in off the street. Rather, the Prince Edward County Trails Committee is led by Barry Davidson, who spearheaded the refurbishment of about eight kilometres of the Millennium Trail on either side of Wellington—with help from the Wellington Rotary and other community volunteers and community-minded organizations including Hydro One and Paul Greer Excavating among others.
These folks demonstrated what could be done and how to do it.
It is easy to see the Millennium Trail as an underutilized gem—it is quite another to harness the community resources, navigate the murky regulatory waters to deliver a valuable community asset. Davidson and his team made this happen. And will again.
Most council members recognized the opportunity and eventually approved releasing $294,000 in reserve to the committee, as expressed by Sophiasburgh Councillor Kevin Gale.
“Bravo, on going forward in this way,” said Gale to his colleagues around the council table and to Davidson and his group. “And please keep it up with other projects, because there are lot of things that need to get done and this is a wonderful approach to it.”
Yet not all councillors recognized the opportunity presented by Davidson et al. as the gift that it is—or even a good thing. Councillor Jamie Forrester argued it was money that ought to be spent elsewhere—tossed into the public works machine to disappear into the void. But it was Ameliasburgh councillor Janice Maynard who made the more curious argument: worried that council was losing control—handing over improvement projects and dollars to an unaccountable community group.
“We wouldn’t award a tender without knowing exactly what we were getting,” said Maynard with a straight face.
Under other circumstances Maynard’s concerns might constitute a valid argument. But there is no evidence this term of council has demonstrated competence, let alone control, in building anything, or spending capital expenditure dollars in a coherent and responsible manner.
I invite the councillor and readers to venture to Wellington, to walk the Millennium Trail out into Hillier and out to Conley Road. See with your own eyes what this group has accomplished. Afterward, swing by the tennis courts and the mounds of construction debris scattered across the adjacent playground.
Then let us talk about accountability
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