Mould in Old Firehall Slows City Hall Plans

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Mould in Old Firehall Slows City Hall Plans

Guelph Tribune - Guelph,ON,Canada*

Doug Hallett, Guelph

(Nov 9, 2007)

http://www.guelphtribune.ca/trib/news/news_921791.html

Discovery of mould in the old firehall building that's being

incorporated into the new city hall has necessitated cleanup

measures which are slowing down the project.

The discovery poses both cost and schedule risks to the city hall

project, according to the city's latest update on the project.

It appears moisture got into the old firehall after it was vacated

by the community services department to make way for construction of

the new city hall, said project manager Jeff Christy.

That " created some ideal conditions for mould growth, " he said in an

interview.

Abatement work to deal with the mould, which started several days

ago, could take three or four weeks in all, he said. During that

time, construction workers doing work in the firehall area have to

wear protective gear including respirators.

It's not yet known what impact the mould problem might have on

scheduling of the project to build a new city hall and convert the

old city hall into a provincial offences court, or on the overall

project cost, he said.

It's just one of a number of unforeseen site condition problems that

the contractor has run into with the city hall project, Christy

said. These include problems with elevated bedrock on the site and

with the condition of a heritage wall that will be part of the new

city hall.

He said a contingency fund was built into the project's overall

$50.7-million budget, but more money could be needed from the city.

Officials are now trying to determine whether more money is needed

and how much, in time for 2008 budgeting.

" We want to ensure that we have the number right, so that if we have

to go back and ask for more money, we only have to do it once, "

Christy said Tuesday.

In June 2006, city council awarded a $42-million construction

contract for building a new city hall and converting the old city

hall into a courthouse to Urbacon Buildings Group Corp. of Toronto,

whose bid was the lowest of five received from general contractors.

Christy said the $50.7-million figure includes the cost of

demolishing the Memorial Gardens arena and other non-construction

costs, including furnishing and equipping the new city hall and

paying consultants.

The county will pay half of the cost of the courthouse conversion,

he said, as the local provincial court handles both city and county

cases. The court is currently in leased quarters in Old Quebec

Street.

Although the project isn't over budget yet, there is difficulty

in " trying to trend to the end of a job that is close to two years

away, " Christy said.

Strike impacts this summer have pushed the scheduled completion date

of the new city hall to May 15, 2008, the city's latest update says.

Once staff move out of the old city hall, the court conversion work

will start.