NEWS ARCHIVES

January 22, 2010

Transparency at OC Transpo

Much has been made about the cost of the City’s new OC Transpo garage, and that it has ballooned from its original cost-estimate of $60 million to the current price of $97 million.

But how did we get to the current price tag?

In the 2007 Capital Budget, Council allocated $60 million for the construction of a garage on Industrial Avenue in order to accommodate the growth of the transit fleet.

In 2008, Council approved a further $5 million to fund the difference between the pre-tender estimate and the actual tenders. While the City received seven bids from perspective companies, the cost differential is being associated to the high level of construction activity at that time as well as escalating costs for materials and system components.

At the same time, OC Transpo was investigating internal efficiencies. A report in February of 2009 outlined an opportunity to expand the scope of the then $65 million garage. By increasing the overall capacity of the facility, the entire articulated bus fleet could be housed in one location. Further, it would eliminate the need to construct a second facility, which was being planned. It was estimated that this move would result in a savings of $70 million by 2019.

In April, Council approved the new direction and allocated an additional $15 million to expand the facility, which brought us to a total of $80 million.

Enlarging the scope of the project triggered an amendment to the environmental assessment process, which was a contributing factor in the $17 million request contained within the 2010 Capital Budget. However, the $17 million, which brings us to a total of $97 million, has not been approved – it is a budgetary request.

I am concerned that so many departments were involved in this project initially and no one seemed to have any awareness as to what was going on. In a sense, there was no accountability. While the project is now under the guidance of OC Transpo, I’ll be looking for the City to revisit the proposed $17 million expenditure and determine what items can be cut and what items can be deferred to lessen the financial impact.

That said, I support having a larger facility rather than building a second garage. As with any project, the longer we wait, the more expensive the project will become. But we must do our due diligence to ensure costs are appropriate and manageable.

Minor adjustment made to bus stop location

Due to the construction that is occurring on Hazeldean Road, OC Transpo has relocated the stop at Fringewood and Hazeldean to the southwest corner of the intersection.

This change will be in effect for the duration of the construction and a shelter will be installed shortly.

Waste collection calendar reminder

Several residents have contacted my office concerned that their Green Bin has not been collected. Unfortunately, it appears some residents are misreading their collection calendar or have an outdated copy.

I encourage you to visit the City’s website at www.ottawa.ca and follow the link on the main page to obtain the appropriate calendar.

Revised plans for Stittsville Main Street development

A revised zoning and site plan application has been submitted for 1491 and 1493 Stittsville Main St.

The land fronting onto Stittsville Main St. is proposed to have a 5-storey building with retail on the ground floor, offices on the second and third floor and residential apartments on the fourth and fifth floors. The parking layout for the mixed-use building has been revised by providing 35 full-size spaces, whereas the previous proposal indicated 40 spaces, with 19 of them having reduced width (2.4m instead of 2.6m standard).

The proposal for the rear portion of the property has been revised with five 3-storey buildings, containing 28-stacked units, rather than the initial proposal of six 3-storey buildings containing 36 stacked units. Parking has been increased for these units. The rear yard parking lots previously proposed have been eliminated, providing additional landscaped space between the proposed buildings and the adjacent lots. A 1.4 metre screen fence is proposed along the property line.

The proposed plans can be viewed on my website at www.shadqadri.com/plan_mix.htm and additional plans can be viewed on the City's site at www.ottawa.ca/devapps.

For more information and to provide comments on the revised plan by February 15, please contact my office and the City Planner, Kathy Rygus, at 613-580-2424 ext. 28318 or Kathy.Rygus@ottawa.ca.

Sierra Club Canada assists in education and promotion of Green Bin

The Sierra Club wants you to be an environmental leader by giving a “Bin Talk.”

Sierra Club Canada will be recruiting, training and deploying volunteers in Ottawa to give presentations on the benefits of the Green Bin program.

Volunteers will be provided with the necessary materials to give a 5 - 10 minute presentation at their school, place of work or within a club or organization they are a part of. High school students can earn community service hours by participating.

Please call Ben at 613-241-2411 ext. 235, or email benl@sierraclub.ca, for more information.

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