Dear Editor:
This summer, the Front Street mews opened with great fanfare, but there was no official recognition that it was about eight months behind schedule. One can still find a construction timeline on the City of New Westminster website, titled Waterfront Vision Newsletter #4, dated August 2016, which says the project was to be complete by early December of last year. I realize most construction projects encounter some delays, but eight months seems extreme. I understand barriers were built, then torn up to be built again, and there were other changes in the scope of the work after it was well underway. There was supposed to be a sound barrier against noise from Front Street, but the only separation between the street and the mews is a low wall that a toddler could easier scamper over into the path of oncoming trucks.
What happened to the sound barrier? Was it lost because the project budget ran out of money? Why were there so many delays, and who is accountable for them?
Then there’s the mews stairway to nowhere. The city said the stairway was needed under the fire code, yet for weeks it has remained unconnected to the building it’s supposed to protect. There has been a suggestion the building owner may be to blame for the delayed completion, but if the stairs are required under the code, why is the city not being more aggressive in getting this project finished?
Near the mews, the elevator from the parkade to the Pier Park was not just months late, it was more than a year behind schedule, finally opening in 2016, but subject to repeated breakdowns. Reports in the Record blamed delays in getting parts, changes in the scope of the project and a lack of coordination between parties. Did the private contractors and suppliers face any consequences for the lengthy delays and continued technical issues? Did city staff make mistakes, by changing the scope of the project, or through poor coordination, that contributed to this embarrassment?
A project to rebuild Quayside Park and replace a storm sewer outfall was supposed to be complete in July. However, the city recently revealed it has encountered problems with some underground pipes, pushing the project completion back perhaps as far as November. Did the city not know about these pipes before work started? What is the cost of the extended work, and, again, is anyone accountable?
We pay senior city staff extremely good wages so they can plan and execute projects in a timely, efficient manner. But as these examples show, especially when staff are often seen passing the buck to explain delays, New Westminster residents may not be getting the best bang for their buck.
David Lang, New Westminster
