Still waiting
Montague council upset over further delays to Riverview Manor replacement
Any further delays to construction of a new manor could come at a cost to P.E.I. taxpayers.
Montague council voted unanimously during last night’s monthly meeting to extend an expired $19,924 building permit granted last year for the replacement of the 52-year-old Riverview Manor.
However, the province will have to pay for a new permit if construction doesn’t begin by July 12.
“After 30 days, if they haven’t started the manor, then they’ll pay the full price for another building permit,” said Coun. Jim Bagnall, who chairs the town’s planning board.
The permit was first granted in May 2016 and expired on May 9, 2017, with council receiving a request by the province to extend or renew the permit.
Bagnall said council is still largely in limbo as to what is taking place with the replacement manor and that he was upset about the situation.
“We can’t get any satisfaction,” said Bagnall.
“It just upsets me to no end that we can’t get our manor here … they can build roundabouts whenever they feel like it, but the people that deserve some comfort in their older lives can’t get it.”
The replacement manor has been long-anticipated by Montague residents.
It was first announced by the Robert Ghiz government in 2009 as part of a five-year manor replacement program, with a news release that February stating that planning would begin in 2013-2014.
In April 2015, the province announced construction would begin in 2016 with council hoping it would celebrate the opening during its 100th birthday in 2017.
However, last summer it was announced that construction would be delayed.
At the time, council requested a meeting with provincial officials to get a reason for the delay.
This past February, the province announced it had re-issued tenders for manors in Montague and Tyne Valley after the first received tenders were higher than expected.
Government had budgeted $18.7 million for the two manors, with the lowest coming in at $21.4 million.
At the time, the province said the re-issued tenders were expected back by the end of March with construction expected to take 12 to 18 months and a targeted completion in the fall of 2018.
Bagnall said the town has “bent over backwards” to provide the province with the permit extension.
“We’ve been very lenient with these guys, but they don’t seem to want to talk to us or do anything about it, they won’t give us any information.”
Coun. Debbie Johnston has been one of the most vocal critics of the delays and has described the conditions of the existing manor as “deplorable.”
The issue of extending the permit was first brought up during last month’s committee of council meeting.
“I sincerely wish that we did not have to extend the permit. I can’t say how disappointed I am that there has been no construction on this manor, once again this year,” Johnston said during the May meeting.