Delnor鈥檚 new site superintendent is hesitant to put a tentative completion date on the already overdue library and cultural centre.
Craig Lemiski has been on site for six weeks now and, since his arrival, a lot has changed. Contractors and trades people are now working seven days a week to rectify the project鈥檚 many issues and to complete the remaining work. But even with that positive progress taking place, he said he doesn鈥檛 like to play the guessing game.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard for me to say even a joking date because we all know then it spreads,鈥� he said while giving council a tour of the facility, Feb. 18.
鈥淎ll I can say is it鈥檚 progressing faster than it was previously. We have people working around the clock as much as we can.鈥�
The last predicted completion date was the end of March, beginning of April. That was told to Peter Waterworth, chief administrative officer for the municipality, in December. If that date were to be met, the project would come in about 14 months past the original completion date of January 2013.
One of the major issues Lemiski is dealing with now is with the building鈥檚 exposed concrete walls. Although they were meant to be left as sealed architectural concrete, at some point down the line, those walls were covered with an additional layer of concrete that has been deemed unacceptable. So, to rectify the issue, grinders are working around the clock to take that layer off the walls.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work,鈥� said Lemiski, noting that it will take four weeks just to get the walls ground down and sealed.
Lemiski invited council back in one month鈥檚 time to see the progress.
鈥淏y that time we should have the grinding finished, should have some flooring done, tile work, more painting, finishings鈥攖hings will start to change.鈥�
During the tour, Gord Hutton, the municipality鈥檚 on site manager, said he鈥檚 pleased with the direction the project is taking.
鈥淎 lot of the outstanding issues are getting rectified in a timely manner, which is really encouraging from my perspective.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not all that many months ago that we were here for the pre-election tour and you can see that progress has happened since then and it continues to happen.鈥�
Construction of the library and cultural centre began in November 2011. By July 2012, council had already approved a budget increase of one million dollars, bringing the total up to $8.5-million.
The increases were the result of unforeseen issues, including the need for additional structural framing, the levelling of the old library floors, the stabilization of a crumbling chimney and the removal of asbestos. All of those issues were exacerbated by the fact that the old library is a heritage building subject to strict development rules.
There have also been numerous errors made by the builder and architect. Those issues resulted in lengthy construction delays to determine who is liable for the errors鈥攊ncluding the mechanical issues that plagued the building in the early part of 2013 and the need to replace the roof last summer.
Stantec has taken responsibility for the mechanical issues and, last July, it was determined that both Delnor and Stanec are responsible for the inadequate materials and construction of the roof.
Because of the extensive list of problems with the construction of the building, it is likely the legal disputes over liability will continue following its completion, and those disputes will likely result in further budget increases.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
