The final numbers are in, and the Gathering Circle project came in $21,000 over budget.
Parks, Recreation and Culture Director Dean Collver gave a short presentation to the Corporate and Community Services Standing Committee on Monday concerning the final costs for the project.
“I’m regretful to say we did miss budget by about three per cent. I hope that committee and council will recognize that this was an intense project with lots of moving targets and pieces along the way,” said Collver.
“We’re quite proud of the outcome,” he said.
The final cost of the Gathering Circle was $748,896.15, minus a cash contribution from the United Steelworkers totalling $42,739.48 for a net cost of $706,156.67.
When compared to the budget, the final project outcome resulted in a three per cent variance of $21,156.67. This amount was covered by the 2018 Capital Contingency reserve.
Coun. Mariane McLeod asked Collver if a three per cent overage was normal in a municipal project.
“I hesitate to say what’s ‘normal’ for a project,” said Collver. “We didn’t intend to run over budget. It was a matter of... a lot of unpredictable circumstances. We did report back at every stage along the way, so council was aware of some of the challenges. We adjusted the budget once during that process.”
The original cost estimate for the Gathering Circle project was established based on the conceptual budget outlined in the 2016 Waterfront Master Plan and taking into consideration the value of the commitment made by the United Steelworkers.
According to the staff report, it is not surprising or unusual that unforeseen challenges affected the final budget outcome.
Geotechnical testing was completed very early in the process, however, the results of the report were not received until after the initial budget was established. The geotechnical report indicated that the load-bearing capacity of the site required the use of helical pilings penetrating near the bedrock layer. Further, the pilings required for the site needed to be substantial in order to penetrate layers of fibrous, rubber, and other inorganic material on their way to the bedrock.
To manage the cost, site landscaping features were scaled back from the original plan and/or phased into future plans for the park.
“Based on what you discovered at the location, will that mean that we have to rethink some of the plans we have for the neighbouring properties when we go through our Waterfront Master Plan?” asked McLeod.
“That’s an excellent question. The answer is, likely not,” said Collver. “We’re going through the site planning process right now for every other element in Harbourview Park. The other elements don’t need to impede upon the former landfill. We will be looking to fill in some locations to rise above grade.”
Committee voted to move the staff report forward to the next meeting of council.
