Long-awaited project gets off the ground

By Geoffrey Agombar

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

After years of fundraising and anticipation, Bridgetown residents can finally take a turn up Bay Road toward Inglewood and see that their new fire hall is taking shape. Last Friday, contractors completed the final pour of concrete to form the exterior walls, and roof trusses should start going up this week.

According to Fire Hall Construction Committee chair Herb Anderson, “The exterior should be tight by the end of November.” Interior work will proceed through the winter months and finishing work (façade and landscaping, for example) will continue throughout the spring. The facility is expected to be operational by next summer.

The November end date for exterior walls does represent a slight delay, because this stage of the project had been scheduled for completion by the end of October. However, when work began it was discovered that the ground would not support a building of this size and weight. The site had to be excavated and reconstituted; a cost not included in original estimates.

Anderson remains confident though. “We believe we can recover [these costs and delays] over time,” he says.

Speaking to the frustrating on-again, off-again battle to get this construction started, Bridgetown Mayor Art Marshall poetically compares the walls rising from the earth to a phoenix rising from its own ashes.

Marshall explains that architects initially estimated total costs of around $1.5 million to build the hall. Under a one-third/one-third/one-third funding structure, the town would have covered $500,000 of this cost. Provincial and federal governments would have paid $500,000 each to cover the other two-thirds. But when the town finished fundraising its share, the provincial and federal matching funds dried up, effectively scuttling the whole project.

BREATHED NEW LIFE

Breathed new life

When Marshall and his council came into office about two years ago, they breathed new life into an effectively dead project by adopting a unique tendering process. Like Anderson, the mayor remains hopeful that the project will come in on budget, pointing to the savings that have already been achieved by favoring local contractors willing to contribute ‘gifts in kind.’

(‘Gift in kind’ is an accounting term for assets which are not monetary. This could include materials - such as quarried stone or sod - or services - such as work by staff already on the payroll. )

Usually, a tender is issued, bids are received and the lowest bid wins. Under the Bridgetown’s method, in-kind contributions are subtracted from the dollar cost of a bid, favoring contractors who are willing to contribute materials or services to the project.

NO MIDDLEMAN

In a manner of speaking, Bridgetown has cut out the middleman, leaving council with enough decision-making power to minimize expenses through a variety of partnerships and cost-cutting strategies. Rather than paying the “turnkey” $1.5 million price tag, council is budgeting to spend closer to $1 million and has already achieved significant savings. “To date, the project has awarded nearly $450,000 in tenders and realized $100,000 in cost savings,” says Marshall.

Anderson feels “This was the only affordable way to do it,” and credits “the excellent cooperation between the town and the county, as well as the incredible efforts of our citizens, businesses, community groups and service groups,” for making it happen.

Both men stress that none of the work would have been possible without the in-kind contributions of the contractors, and extend thanks on behalf of the town, county and the Fire Hall Construction Committee to Access Contracting Limited, Fraser’s Pro Home Centre, Lafarge Canada Inc., McLennan Sales (EMCO Ltd.), Nova Paving Limited, Rice’s Contracting Co. Ltd., and VJ Rice Concrete Limited.

“I’m not prepared to list dollar amounts at this stage. Partly because, these companies will no doubt contribute even more as we continue to award tenders,” says Marshall.

Sounding one final alarm, Anderson points out that “The problems with the foundation created some strain on the budget and the schedule. Folks should recognize the tremendous efforts and good will that got us to this point. But we’re not out of the water yet. Come spring, we may find that additional fundraising is needed.”