CONTENTS OF THIS BLOG:
ARESST ACTION:
- CRD SEWAGE COMMITTEE MEETS 19 DECEMBER, 9:30AM
CRD-RELATED SEWAGE NEWS:
LETTERS:
- WE OWE IT TO TAXPAYERS TO SPEND WISELY
=========================
ARESST ACTION:
CRD SEWAGE COMMITTEE MEETS 19 DECEMBER, 9:30AM
CALWMC meets 19 December, 9:30am, reconvenes meeting of December 12 and agenda appears to be limited to:
6. Procurement Advisor Award of Contract (EWW 12-87)
9.New Business
10. Motion to close the meeting in accordance with the Community Charter, Part 4, Division 3, 90(1)(e) the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements.
CRD Board meets 19 December, 1:30pm, reconvenes meeting of December 12 and agenda points of interest include
5.3 CORE AREA LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE – December 12, 2012
The following recommendation will be considered by the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee prior to the CRD Board meeting.
1. Procurement Advisor Award of Contract
• That Partnerships BC be awarded the contract for Phase 1 procurement services for the McLoughlin wastewater treatment facility in the amount of $711,300 plus HST. (WA)
==========================
CRD-RELATED SEWAGE NEWS:
SEWAGE COMMITTEE PLAYS CATCH-UP
ROB SHAW
TIMES COLONIST
DECEMBER 17, 2012
CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER TO TIMES COLONIST
Politicians on Greater Victoria’s sewage committee will hastily reconvene Wednesday to try to make up lost time on a project that’s already drifting at least two months behind schedule.
The first item on the agenda will be a $711,300 “procurement adviser” contract with Partnerships B.C. to help prepare bid documents and contracts for companies that want to build parts of the $783-million sewage treatment system.
The Capital Regional District sewage committee, which has been preoccupied with attempts to suspend and review the project in recent months, has yet to debate or approve a deal with Partnerships B.C.
However, the company’s schedule for the sewage treatment project shows it had hoped to start work on certain documents in November.
The committee also has yet to approve a bylaw that would authorize a new independent commission of experts to take over day-to-day decision-making of the treatment project.
Capital Regional District staff had expected the commission to be in place by September or October. Instead, politicians on the committee are fighting with the province to gain more approval power over certain commission documents.
As politicians mulled yet another potential delay at a meeting last week, CRD chief administrative officer Kelly Daniels warned that inflation on construction costs could mean an additional $1 million for every month delayed.
CRD sewage committee chairwoman Denise Blackwell said she doesn’t think that’s happening yet.
“With the things we’re trying to do now, we could probably make up the time,” she said.
Any talk of monetary penalties for delay is “utter nonsense” anyway, said Vic Derman, a Saanich councillor and member of the committee.
“That was, I think, completely hypothetical,” he said of Daniels’ estimate.
Derman said he’s concerned about moving too quickly. He said he’s not sure a proper competition was held for the Partnerships B.C. contract.
“Have we gone out and had a competition for this? I’m sure there are lots of private companies who have expertise who would like to manage it.”
Some of the costs outlined by Partnerships B.C. are also worrisome, he said.
The government agency lists an hourly billing rate of $400 for its president, $325 for vice-presidents and $300 for assistant vice-presidents.
“I look at it and say that’s a lot of money,” Derman said. “Now, is that the going rate? I don’t know. I’m going to have to find out.”
The sewage committee has been dealing with fallout from comments made last week by Premier Christy Clark, who said she’s worried about the plan and has set performance and fiscal milestones for the project to achieve before it receives funding.
Staff and politicians at the CRD expressed confusion over the comments, since milestones aren’t referenced in the government’s initial funding agreement.
The Community Development Ministry said there are three milestones for the project: the substantial completion of the wastewater plant at McLoughlin Point, the substantial completion of the biosolids energy centre and the final operation of the entire system.
“That’s pretty vague,” Derman said.
rshaw@timescolonist.com
CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER TO TIMES COLONIST
Politicians on Greater Victoria’s sewage committee will hastily reconvene Wednesday to try to make up lost time on a project that’s already drifting at least two months behind schedule.
The first item on the agenda will be a $711,300 “procurement adviser” contract with Partnerships B.C. to help prepare bid documents and contracts for companies that want to build parts of the $783-million sewage treatment system.
The Capital Regional District sewage committee, which has been preoccupied with attempts to suspend and review the project in recent months, has yet to debate or approve a deal with Partnerships B.C.
However, the company’s schedule for the sewage treatment project shows it had hoped to start work on certain documents in November.
The committee also has yet to approve a bylaw that would authorize a new independent commission of experts to take over day-to-day decision-making of the treatment project.
Capital Regional District staff had expected the commission to be in place by September or October. Instead, politicians on the committee are fighting with the province to gain more approval power over certain commission documents.
As politicians mulled yet another potential delay at a meeting last week, CRD chief administrative officer Kelly Daniels warned that inflation on construction costs could mean an additional $1 million for every month delayed.
CRD sewage committee chairwoman Denise Blackwell said she doesn’t think that’s happening yet.
“With the things we’re trying to do now, we could probably make up the time,” she said.
Any talk of monetary penalties for delay is “utter nonsense” anyway, said Vic Derman, a Saanich councillor and member of the committee.
“That was, I think, completely hypothetical,” he said of Daniels’ estimate.
Derman said he’s concerned about moving too quickly. He said he’s not sure a proper competition was held for the Partnerships B.C. contract.
“Have we gone out and had a competition for this? I’m sure there are lots of private companies who have expertise who would like to manage it.”
Some of the costs outlined by Partnerships B.C. are also worrisome, he said.
The government agency lists an hourly billing rate of $400 for its president, $325 for vice-presidents and $300 for assistant vice-presidents.
“I look at it and say that’s a lot of money,” Derman said. “Now, is that the going rate? I don’t know. I’m going to have to find out.”
The sewage committee has been dealing with fallout from comments made last week by Premier Christy Clark, who said she’s worried about the plan and has set performance and fiscal milestones for the project to achieve before it receives funding.
Staff and politicians at the CRD expressed confusion over the comments, since milestones aren’t referenced in the government’s initial funding agreement.
The Community Development Ministry said there are three milestones for the project: the substantial completion of the wastewater plant at McLoughlin Point, the substantial completion of the biosolids energy centre and the final operation of the entire system.
“That’s pretty vague,” Derman said.
rshaw@timescolonist.com
==========================
LETTERS:
WE OWE IT TO TAXPAYERS TO SPEND WISELY
TIMES COLONIST
DECEMBER 18, 2012
CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER TO TIMES COLONIST
Re: “Clark comments muddy waters,” Dec. 14.
The editorial starts with a reference to “long-suffering taxpayers” and ends with, “Clark should rethink the notion of holding back all the money until the end.”
Please excuse my impertinence for pointing out the obvious, but the motivation for structuring our $248-million contribution the way we have, is for the protection of the provincial taxpayer.
Premier Christy Clark, Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Ida Chong and I have consistently said the same thing. We want to help the Capital Regional District with this important project. The provincial taxpayer will pay $248 million and not a penny more. And we will pay the provincial share at the substantial completion of all project components, after final commissioning of the wastewater system.
I am confident all parties are committed to a sound and proven delivery model for the wastewater program in the capital region which is why we are working to ensure we have the appropriate conditions and milestones in place that are necessary to deliver such a large, complex project in the most cost-effective way.
This project represents a significant investment by not just CRD taxpayers, but taxpayers from all parts of B.C. They expect their governments to spend these dollars wisely and responsibly. Our approach fulfils this obligation to them.
Bill BennettMinister of Community,
Sport and Cultural Development
Victoria
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/we-owe-it-to-taxpayers-to-spend-wisely-1.30111
-------------------------------------
END.
