Guelph names new contractor for police renovation
The City of Guelph has found a new contractor to complete renovation work on its police services headquarters.
On July 16, the city announced that its bonding agent had appointed Perini Management to oversee the final stages of work on the $34-million project. Work on the building was awarded to Concord-based Jasper Construction in 2016 with a plan to complete the renovations last spring.
On June 26 of this year, the city announced that it had found Jasper in default of its contract, and ended the firm’s work on the project.
Kealy Dedman, Guelph’s deputy chief administrative officer of infrastructure, development and enterprise, told CBC News the decision to remove the contractor was down to failure to address deficiencies.
"The deficiencies were mostly related to additions that weren't built to contracted standards, and they haven't been corrected at this point in time," said Dedman.
Shortcomings have been common on the project. In February, a report to council showed that the company had spent its entire construction budget with five months left on the construction schedule. City staff warned at the time, “the project will exceed the budget due to the extent of unexpected conditions that are part of renovating an aged building."
It’s not yet known how much extra the project will cost to complete, nor does the city have an updated timeline for the project completion. A project update issued in March suggests that 97 percent of the construction work is complete and 96 percent of the total approved budget has been spent.
The city now says it is working with Perini, a Massachusetts-based firm, to address deficiencies, revise the project schedule, complete remaining work and determine if there are any budget impacts.
The city also expects to bring a report on budget impacts to council later this year—including any requests for additional project funding, and sources of additional cash.