Parkhill project costs climb $204,000
The city is facing nearly $204,000 in unexpected engineering costs on a $26-million reconstruction of Parkhill Road West, and councillors voted 6-5 on Monday to pay those extra costs.
The reconstruction began in 2018 along Parkhill Road West from Wallis Drive to the west city limits — and it’s due to be done in October.
The project includes the construction of a roundabout where Parkhill intersects with Ackison Road to the north and Brealey Drive to the south.
The work is expected to meet the October deadline, but a city staff report explains the city’s engineering firm, D.M. Wills of Peterborough, had to work overtime this winter and are asking for the additional money.
“It just seems to be a money pit — we are throwing more and more money at it,” said Coun. Dean Pappas.
He voted against paying more to the engineers, as did Coun. Keith Riel, Coun. Stephen Wright, Coun. Andrew Beamer and Mayor Diane Therrien.
Voting in favour of paying the extra money were Coun. Lesley Parnell, Coun. Kim Zippel, Coun. Kemi Akapo, Coun. Gary Baldwin, Coun. Don Vassiliadis and Coun. Henry Clarke.
Clarke said this is a “neverending” project, beset with years of delays such as land acquisitions that needed to occur before construction could even start.
D.M. Wills was hired in 2013, the city staff report notes.
If council refuses to pay this extra money now, he said, he was concerned that the project might not be done on time.
Commissioner of infrastructure and planning Cynthia Fletcher told councillors that if they don’t pay the engineering firm for work already done, the project could “grind to a halt.”
Some of the additional work came about because the gas main that feeds the Jackson Meadows subdivision wasn’t buried deep enough when initially installed, according to a new city staff report.
Then the heavy rain this winter required engineers to inspect the site regularly, while construction wasn’t taking place, to ensure that environmental standards were being met.
That’s not typically necessary in winter, the report states, since the ground usually freezes and becomes snow-covered when road crews leave for the season.
“When we asked them to do more, that comes at a cost,”
Fletcher told councillors. “You want to get that project finished. If we’re not going to pay the consultant, I don’t know where that leaves us.”