Council voiced its frustrations with the never ending construction delays on the library and cultural centre, Oct. 13, questioning how so many projects are still incomplete three years after the building's original completion date.
“Early in September we were still given every indication that the Oct. 2 deadline was going to be met,” said Mayor Richard Ireland, “and now it's going to be another two or three weeks—has anyone offered an explanation why?” he asked.
“It just amazes me that a month out they couldn't tell that they were going to be over target. Did they just not bother to tell us?”
On Oct. 6, four days after the library and cultural centre was supposed to be completed, council heard that the building was still under construction and there were at least two to three weeks worth of work still to be done.
In his report to council, Mark Fercho, chief administrative officer, explained that the building is nearly complete, however there are three projects that still need to be done before the building’s commissioning and startup can begin and municipal staff can start training on the building’s mechanical systems.
The projects include inspecting, approving and installing new stair treads and railings along staircases, reinstalling the glass vestibule at the entrance of the building—which cannot be completed until the stairs are installed—and installing wood flooring in the entranceway of the heritage building.
There are also a number of smaller projects to be completed, however they don't affect the contractor's ability to begin the startup and commissioning of the building, while the other three projects do.
In response to Ireland's concerns Oct. 13, Fercho explained that there has been a domino effect that has resulted in these latest delays. The first domino fell when the contractor improperly installed the joints for the stairs, resulting in their removal and reinstallation.
Once the new joints passed inspection, the stair treads, which will be placed on top, were designed, inspected and ordered from the manufacturer. The first shipment of treads arrived this week and another shipment is expected shortly. According to Fercho, the architect is scheduled to be in Jasper to inspect the treads this week.
If they pass their inspection, they will be installed. If not they will be sent back and a new batch will be made, causing further delays.
Once the treads are in place, the railings will be installed and the glass vestibule can be reinstalled.
After listening to Fercho's explanation, Ireland fired back, suggesting the domino effect from the stairs surely doesn't effect some of the smaller projects that remain unfinished.
“We are still looking for the installation of the operable walls, I'm not sure how the tread delay would have impacted not having the operable walls up, or the operable windows or the ceramic tiles or the interior cedar accent walls and the toilet fixtures.
“All of this stuff they knew was necessary, they knew that in September and assured us all would be done. I can accept that if there was a delay in getting the railing installation guy that could delay things, or the treads—if that was us being picky as to quality, as we should well be at this stage—I can understand that. But so many of these other ones don't seem at all tied to those three critical matters.”
Ireland wasn't alone in his frustration. Coun. Gilbert Wall also piped up to express his dissatisfaction.
“It's so discouraging,” he said.
“It just staggers me still. It speaks of the competency of these two operators—four years to design and install a set of stairs in a building, it's mind boggling.”
The library and cultural centre expansion and renovation project began in November 2011 and has seen numerous construction errors and unforeseen issues since then, with the roof, walls, floors, stairs, windows and mechanical system all being improperly installed and subsequently removed over the course of the past four years.
When the building is complete, it will house the Jasper Artists Guild, Jasper Habitat for the Arts, l’Association Canadienne Francaise de l’Alberta (ACFA) and, of course, the library. There will also be an office for the mayor, as well as a new meeting room where council meetings will be held.
The project was originally scheduled for completion in early 2012.
Nicole Veerman
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