KEY TERMS
APPENDIX: A document attached to a larger document or publication that contains material-in-depth in support of the broader document. Additional information related to the topic. (plural / appendices)
CHANGE ORDER: A change in the terms of a contract that has already started to be implemented. Changes contained in an order may impact the scope of the project, the cost of the project, or both. In short, something came up that was unforeseen after the contract work started that made the terms of the contract untenable for one or both of the parties involved. A change order will reflect the new reality of the project, and the new cost.
MOBILIZATION: The gathering of the people and materials necessary to begin and complete a task. Ideally with a construction project, mobilization occurs once, at the beginning. Projects extending over two calendar years require additional mobilization, one at the beginning in Year 1, and another to start again in Year 2. Mobilization of human and material resources costs money. The need to duplicate it costs even more money.
KEY PEOPLE: Andrea Bishop
Ms. Bishop is listed on the town’s website as the Manager of Engineering and Asset Management. Yet the others present at the meeting refer to her as Acting Director, but no indication of Acting Director of what. It may be the she has taken on the position of Eric Withers, who I believe no longer serves with the town. If that’s the case, Ms. Bishop would be the Acting-Director of Development, Environment and Infrastructure / Deputy CAO, which admittedly, is a pretty impressive title. I just wouldn’t want to have to stitch it onto a staff hoody because I’d likely need both sides, front and back. Or two hoodies.
I’m not sure entirely what her title may be, but I do hope to get it right so that the title accurately reflects the position held by Ms. Bishop. So apologies in advance if I get it wrong.
APPENDICES A TO D: Active construction projects in the Town of Renfrew
SEGMENT 1: APPENDIX A: Dominion and Quarry
Acting-Director Bishop indicates that this project, awarded in mid-August, is tracking as over-budget, primarily due to upcoming change orders that will reflect new realities, including the discovery of unknown infrastructure underground while digging.
Ms. Bishop indicates the not all expenses related to the project to date are reflected in her report, as there are bills still outstanding that haven’t come in yet, nor been paid. She also alludes to “design errors and oversights” that will result in additional costs, possibly as a result of significant staff turnover with both the contractors and the town.
The underground services discovered in the field were of a size and type not expected by either party to the contract. She also refers to design aspects “that were omitted from the drawings.” Unfortunately, this will not be the only time this type of thing will be mentioned in her report.
As this problem started late in the construction season, the Acting-Director noted that the project will need to be executed over the course of two summers.
1) Councillor Cybulski: Wants to know if the need for additional mobilization will result in charges in addition to charges accruing from the discovery of infrastructure underground of sizes different than expected.
Acting-Director Bishop: There may well be additional fees, though those are under negotiation with the contractor. Construction has to take place over two seasons as it would be difficult to attempt completion in one season, especially with the difficulties involved with working with concrete in cold weather.
2) Councillor Cybulski: He’s finding it difficult to understand why these seasonal aspects were not considered and captured as part of the scope of the overall contract. He connects the additional costs, especially remobilization costs, as something that should have been foreseen when the contract was tendered and awarded. Councillor Cybulski makes the point that he is not challenging Ms. Bishop directly, only the content of the report that she is tasked with providing to council. Again, these contracts very-well may pre-date Ms. Bishop’s elevation to Acting-Director. It’s a classy comment from a serious councillor seeking answers to a serious issue, so good to see.
Acting-Director Bishop: The fact that the contract was awarded on August 13, 2024 led to mobilization timelines that prevented actual construction from beginning until mid-September. In addition, there is now the “stand-by” time that reflects the underground discoveries, and the time required to get this sorted out by staff and council before construction can resume. These factors have contributed to the need to go later into the fall season, then start-up again in the spring.
3) Councillor Dick: Expressed his desire that, in future, Renfrew gets onto the front burner with contractor construction projects, with project start-dates in May rather than August. Wants Renfrew to be a priority for contractors.
This project is currently 15% complete.
COMMENTARY APPENDIX A
Design costs not included in or taken out of total costs. Mystery infrastructure uncovered during contract work. Duplicate mobilization costs. Late seasonal starts to road work.
It’s hard not to be concerned by this, and frankly friends, there’s more of this to come. The first item regarding design costs not being included or actually taken out of the master plan has the feel of incompetence or something even worse, neither of which is acceptable. The “discovery” of underground infrastructure with sizing different from expectation speaks to another layer of incompetence somewhere along the line. It would be my assumption that such infrastructure, and its operational characteristics, would be recorded as part of any normal protocol involving any kind of work as serious as engineering work. So the questions around this would involve those past records. Were they inaccurate? Were there records at all? How is it that present-day construction work is stumbling upon previously installed underground infrastructure in the first place? Let alone the sizing discrepancies. Was there not some indication somewhere of the existence of this infrastructure and its placement? A planning document of some sort? A map? Even a napkin with a crude sketch somewhere in some engineering files? It’s breath-taking, to say the least. And it’s left to the Acting-Director to reveal this stuff. My goodness, if I was a church-going man, I’d light an extra candle for her, because she’s been put into a tough spot.
I’ll leave it at that because, well, I’ve already seen the other segments. So there well may be additional commentary to follow.
SEGMENT 2: APPENDIX B
EIGHTH STREET FROM O’BRIEN TO BARNETT
KEY TERMS
CCTV: Closed circuit television. It can be used to do inspections of sewer lines and storm drains and can reveal the condition and characteristics of these conveyances.
EXPLORATORY DIGS: Digging to see what’s underneath beforehand. Different from digging and finding stuff underneath that surprises you. Less expensive too.
HYDRO-VAC: Equipment that uses high-pressure water to cut through soil and liquify it, while at the same time vacuuming and removing it from the site of the excavation.
Ms. Bishop indicated that this project is 30% complete as of October 22, 2024. The current work is scheduled to be completed mid-November with project completion carried over to 2025. There are change orders that reflect the discovery of seemingly undisclosed underground infrastructure and its operational characteristics (sizing). The same design problems as the previous project was indicated. Staff turnover and design omissions involving the same design firm EXP, were indicated.
1) Councillor McDonald: is there any way the town would be able to mitigate —make less damaging — this situation involving all these change orders? Is there any way the town could get out in front of this sort of thing in the future in an attempt to prevent the escalation of costs?
Acting-Director Bishop: Investigation prior to design and prior to construction would be a positive step moving forward. Finding out yourself what’s underground before the contractor’s shovels start digging in. Moving forward, the town will undertake more CCTV work, exploratory digs prior to tenders, and some hydro-vac work to determine the existence and sizing of buried infrastructure.
2) Acting CAO Kelly Latendresse: Pointed out that Ms. Bishop had inherited these projects mid-way through their life span. She further indicated that the factors that have led to the negative aspects of Ms. Bishop’s report will be addressed and not present in her — Ms. Bishop’s — department moving forward.
3) Councillor Cybulski: Reminds council that these projects were all originating pre-2022, and that these, and many others like them have come in over budget, or massively over budget. He points out that reasonably-expected front-end work was not done on these projects, and that it was the contractors themselves that were pointing out the deficiencies of not doing the necessary prep work prior to tenders and awarding of contracts. Councillor Cybulski advised everyone to “buckle-up.”
COMMENTARY / ANALYSIS
Councillor Cybulski, you’re making me kinda nervous over here..
But I fear the worst, with no real reason not to. Are these issues the tip of another iceberg floating around out there, to go along with all the other icebergs the Good Shop Renfrew must navigate around? And I won’t mention the huge one the town has already crashed into, as much has been said already, and that’s just the tip of that iceberg itself. There will be much more said — much more — as things become unearthed. Mysterious infrastructure like sewer pipes appear not to be the only things buried underground and out of sight, so I’ll leave that right there.
Still, when was the concept of due diligence first thought of? 2022? The term incompetence seems grossly inadequate to the task here. Would the word negligence apply? There are expectations that corporations demonstrate a “reasonableness” in carrying out their duties of trust. A failure to exercise due diligence prior to awarding a contract worth many hundreds of thousands of dollars strikes me as coming pretty close to that mark. But I’m not the person deciding that in this, or any other case. However, if it walks, talks, and squawks like a duck, then, well, you get it.
Remember the famous advice to “call before you dig?” We may have to turn that on its head and go for a “dig before you call” mindset, meaning let’s find out about this stuff before we call for tenders.
So, in his caution to others present in the room to buckle-up, Councillor Cybulski has primed us for perhaps the worst-kept secret: that there’s more of this coming to a theatre near you.
SEGMENT 3: APPENDIX C
ARGYLE – LOCHIEL – HALL – OPEONGO – SIDE STREETS
Argyle-Lochiel is 95% complete as of October 22, 20224. It is, however tracking as being over budget. Multiple change orders on a fairly large project. The change orders reflect the discovery of, you guessed it, mysterious underground infrastructure nobody knew about. Sidewalks on Argyle Street between Monroe and Patrick may need to be considered for the municipal 2025 budget
- Councillor Cybulski: Are there any asphalt deficiencies that need to be corrected?
Acting-Director Bishop: Yes. The contractor — BEI — and the town are scheduled to undertake a deficiency walk to determine any need for corrections to be made by the contractor.
2) Councillor Cybulski: Asked if he could see the list once such needs are identified.
Acting-Director Bishop: Sure. Ms. Bishop noted that, given the time of the year, any deficiencies identified are likely to be corrected next year. Also, the walk-through may reveal pieces of work not finished to satisfaction, so again, corrective work may well have to wait until spring.
SEGMENT 4: APPENDIX D
O’BRIEN ROAD – MASK – WRANGLER
This project is currently 90% complete as of October 22, 2024. This project is tracking under budget right now. Change orders are in the area of $74,000, which apparently is pretty good for a project of this size. A completion date for the end of October is anticipated.
Note: this commentary was put together on November 2.
1) Councillor Dick: Asked about an electrical aspect of the round-about. He’s seen some significant wire-work being done. Asked the Acting-Director what this is for.
Acting-Director: Street lighting, as part of the landscape design, is being installed in the centre of the round-about. Ms. Bishop indicated that she could share the designs with the councillor.
2) Councillor Dick: So it’s not going to be a big flashing billboard of lights or anything like that?
Acting-Director: No.
3) Councillor Legris: Wanted to take the time to thank Ms. Bishop for these update reports. He says that, given the money involved in these projects, and the volume of questions councillors receive from the public, that it’s a really good way for councillors to interact with the facts needed to respond to constituent questions.
4) Mayor Sidney: The goal is to have such reports prepared and delivered on a monthly basis.
5) Councillor McDonald: Indicated his support for this reporting format as well moving forward.
6) Councillor Cybulski: During an open house regarding the round-about, discussion was had involving the Ontario Federation of Snowmobilers regarding the impact that the round-about might have on a key trail that runs through the same piece of real estate. Councillor Cybulski says that he sees “no allocations” for that snowmobile trail existing in the current work. The councillor pointed out the economic importance of snowmobilers, what with the Renfrew Inn and the Canadian tire fuel bar, both used extensively by snowmobilers, right in the same area as the round-about. Would the presence of round-about infrastructure be an impediment in any way to these snowmobilers. Councillor Cybulski asked if the Acting-Director might look into this.
Acting-Director: Yes. She indicates that Director Withers has had conversations with the snowmobile club regarding the items indicated in Councillor Cybulski’s request. Ms. Bishop indicated that she would follow up with him.
COMMENTARY / ANALYSIS
I’ll admit that I almost cheered when Ms. Bishop indicated that one of the projects involved in the appendices, the work covered under Appendix D, was progressing under-budget. Like when does that ever happen anywhere, let alone Renfrew? Luckily, I suppose, we’re fortunate enough that the area in question is not in the heart of town, so there was less opportunity for those in the past to bury underground infrastructure and leave no trace of its existence. Whether they just didn’t think far enough ahead or what, but man, it sure hit me as some good news. It’s amazing how the standards for a “victory” have plummeted downward. But I’ll take it.
The monthly reports are, of course, a good idea and a positive spin-off from all the crises the town seems to be dealing with right now relative to the decisions, actions, or inactions of previous actors in positions of authority. One could reasonably ask “Why the hell weren’t they done in earlier times?” But that horse has already bolted the barn, so I guess we can feel good about the process happening now. I mean, better late than never, right? Plus, you gotta start somewhere. So credit to this group for implementing processes that should have been implemented not just years ago, but decades ago, perhaps even generations ago.
Councillor Dick’s question is relevant. What might look like a cool idea for lighting on a design plan might actually end up blinding night-time motorists, which would then lead to “what the hell were they thinking?” after-the-fact. So it will be tasteful ambient lighting, and not a 1970’s disco light show. That’s good, so props to Councillor Dick for making sure. Because you just never know, right?
The snowmobile trail is another one of those types of things. Councillor Cybulski’s question is legitimate as well. You just never know if things talked about in the past prior to a project are actually implemented during the project. That kind of thing happens all the time, part of the human condition I guess. So good to get that looked at moving forward. Council has referred elsewhere to the prospect of a new hotel/motel type endeavour setting up shop in this same part of town. The response to Councillor Cybulski’s question may well impact their decision to locate there at all, especially if they, too, were to be dependent somewhat on snowmobile traffic.
Finally, the mystery of Eric Withers! Is he still on the team or what? Ms. Bishop refers to him as Director Withers, but earlier in my analysis I surmised that the gentleman had moved on. So I don’t know, for sure, what his status is. If he is still around, then I have to go back and find out just what exactly Ms. Bishop is the acting-director of. Perhaps the town’s webmaster might get a firmer grip on the comings and goings? I know there’s been significant turnover, but that can’t be used as an excuse forever. Keep the information up-to-date. It’s a small, yet important thing. So please, get on it.
My apologies to both Ms. Bishop and Mr. Withers if I’ve identified their positions inaccurately, and in the case of Mr. Withers, for showing him the door when he may not have been on his way out. I’ll keep checking the town site to see if anything in this regard has been made clearer.
The full, unedited version of the October 22, 2024 Town Council meeting is below:
NEWSMAGRENFREW 