WINDSOR | Construction - News and Development

[upinottawa]

Costs balloon for beautification of Oullette Avenue

Craig Pearson, Windsor Star
Published: Thursday, November 02, 2006


Sprucing up Ouellette Avenue is growing costlier and upsetting at least one city councillor in the process.

The street beautification, running from Pitt to Wyandotte streets, may end up costing almost double the city's 1998 estimate -- ballooning from $3.3 million to $6.2 million -- according to Windsor Coun. Alan Halberstadt.

"It makes me quite upset because I don't believe that council knew," Halberstadt said Wednesday. "I certainly didn't know that we're looking at costs that might be double what we were told.

"If that's the case, that's the case. But I think we should be told up front what the situation is before they start digging."

RISING COSTS

City officials are scheduled to meet at noon today to discuss rising costs of the project -- and who pays for what. So far, only two blocks are under construction, between Pitt and University streets.

But Halberstadt, who wrote about the issue on his blog, said he took his numbers from extrapolations made by the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, which could be on the hook for some extra costs.

The formula requires the city to pay 75 per cent of the bill and the DWBIA to pay 25 per cent, though Halberstadt thinks Enwin Utilities should cover some of the underground utility tab.

Jim Yanchula, the City of Windsor manager of urban design, said original estimates were based on 1998 numbers but were only presented to council three years ago.

"Generally, costs go up," Halberstadt said. "But this seems way out of whack from what we were told."

John Zangari, project manager for Dillon Consulting, which oversees the streetscaping, said no final numbers have been set -- although he acknowledged costs will rise above 1998 figures.

"We're almost nine years from the estimate, so I would anticipate that the numbers are going to be higher," said Zangari, adding that work has also expanded since it's more cost-effective to improve underground infrastructure with a street already dug up. "The project includes replacement of the water main and a new pavement structure, and neither of those costs were included in those original estimates."

The first two blocks will open again to traffic this year, Zangari said, but will not be complete till spring. He said the beautification "from building face to building face" will include: new pavement, curbs, lighting, benches, waste receptacles, and more trees.

"It's going to look quite nice," he said. "Some of the areas around the casino, where similar improvements have been made, give you some idea of what it might look like."

© The Windsor Star 2006