Cost of new pool in Pierrefonds-Roxboro now tops $5.4 million
The borough council votes to approve spending another $239,500 to cover unforeseen expenses to put the finishing touches on the new Valleycrest pool at Grier Park.
Approval for the allocation of additional funds to finance the completion of the Valleycrest municipal pool in Pierrefonds-Roxboro squeaked through in a threeto-two vote during a morning borough council meeting last Thursday, bringing the overall cost of the project to just over $5.4 million — more than $1 million over the original budget.
A maximum of $239,526 was approved last week to cover contingencies like the complex relocation of an electrical box, last-minute changes to the architectural plans and salary for workers working through the weekends.
Mayor Jim Beis said the pool, being built by Construction Cogela Inc. in Grier Park, would be ready by the end of June, as planned. The exact date has yet to be announced.
“It is common practice with projects this large that 10 per cent of the budget is set aside for contingencies,” Beis said. “For some reason that was not done in this case. I don’t know why and it will never happen again. Ten per cent of this project’s budget wouldbe $500,000, but we’ve kept the cost down.”
Borough councillor Roger Trottier (Bois-de-Liesse) voted against the contingency fund. Before the vote, he asked the mayor why the amount had changed from the $180,000 agreed upon in caucus to $239,526.
“We are approving the maximum amount the contingencies might cost,” Beis said. “But it could cost much less. We are still in negotiations with Cogela (about the breakdown of the costs).”
Beis said work will continue during the negotiations.
Councillor Justine McIntyre (Bois-de-Liesse) also voted against the contingency budget.
“It is simply too much money,” McIntyres aid. “The project was pushed through quickly by the previous administration so there wasn’t much I could do to undo it (following her election to office in November).”
McIntyre said only two bids were made to build the pool and that wasn’t enough to make a financially-sound decision.
She said the call for tenders happened during the construction holiday which may have affected the number of proffered bids.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a very nice installation, but I wish we had shopped around a little more before signing a contract,” she said. “The whole process made me uncomfortable. I could not, in good faith, approve any more money being spent.”
The pool’s original budget was $4.3 million. The price tag swelled to $5.2 million in September 2013. Word from the borough was that winter construction costs more.
In addition, the borough granted a $306,866.82 con- tract to SODEM Inc. in April to manage the facilities for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
The 25-metre, eight-lane, Olympic-size pool and 5,600-square-foot chalet replace the original neighbourhood pool that was built in 1974. The pool is open to everyone and no memberships are required.
There are five, outdoor neighbourhood pools in Pierrefonds-Roxboro that require a membership to use. They are run by volunteers. Only the lifeguards are paid.
The borough pays for water quality checks, chlorine, and the cost of opening and closing the neighbourhood facilities.
The tradition of neighbourhood pools runs deep in the region, with the facilities often becoming the gathering place for the community. But some of the pools are more than 40 years old and in need of repairs.
McIntyre said signing a less-expensive contract for the municipal facility would have left some money to spend on the neighbourhood pools.
Both Beis and McIntyre said the borough is in talks with the Pierrefonds-Roxboro Aquatic Association — the body that represents the borough’s five neighbourhood pools — about a possible solution to the pools’ crumbling infrastructures.
“If the pools cede their land to the borough, it will give them access to considerable funding from the (City of Montreal) to do the necessary repairs,” McIntyre said. “But I understand their concern that if they cede the land, they might end up with an expensive, Olympic-sized pool to run.”
Beis said he is sensitive to the neighbourhood-pool situation.
“I believe in the neighbourhood pools,” he said. “I used to act as liaison between the pools and the borough. I know the file well.
“A priority for us is to consider the safety of the facilities. They are aging and the laws governing outdoor pools have changed over the decades as well. We have to continue talking (with the association) about how we can all work together to make it all happen.”