General Infrastructure Discussion

[flipper316]

https://fvcurrent.com/p/othello-tunnels-open-2024

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by flipper316

https://fvcurrent.com/p/othello-tunnels-open-2024

Wow, I hadn't even realized that the Othello tunnels were closed. With the magnitude of the devastation to so many communities all through southwest BC back in the November 2021 floods I guess it slipped under the radar.

I hope they're able to get everything patched up soon, they're a unique attraction in the Hope area.

[WarrenC12]

Yeah they are fun. I was lucky to see them not long before the flood.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by waves

Having so many more homes have accessible pedestrian and bike transportation to downtown Squamish will be so interesting. It already feels as though the apartments on the west side of the river have livened things up.

Speaking of Squamish, Capilano University is taking over the defunct Quest campus there:

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/capilano-university-squamish-campus-quest-university-acquisition

[jollyburger]

North Shore News: Shocking bill coming for North Shore wastewater treatment plant

You may recall the new plant plan started as a $525 million modernization, then escalated to a $1.05 billion construct. Along the way the original contractor, the Spain-based Acciona, departed acrimoniously and litigiously, and PCL bid for and assumed the construction responsibility, with AECOM as the designers.

Once they moved in, the narrative about the construction and design morphed from proud optimism to frank criticism about what they inherited, suggesting they had to go back to square one.

As the Metro Vancouver website politely puts it, “numerous design and construction errors and deficiencies were identified from the previous contractor, who was responsible for both designing and building the new treatment plant. Over the past several months we have been working to correct these deficiencies and advance the design in order to develop an accurate schedule and cost estimate to complete the project.”

Well, it now has a number, and it will be best to read the next line sitting down.

I’m told the new estimate is coming in at … $4 billion.

https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/kirk-lapo...shore-wastewater-treatment-plant-7572653

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

North Shore News: Shocking bill coming for North Shore wastewater treatment plant

https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/kirk-lapo...shore-wastewater-treatment-plant-7572653

From the same article:

"A special meeting of Metro Vancouver to deal with the wastewater project takes place Oct. 4. There is a plan the next day to provide the grim details of the expense and the reasons why. We may have to wait for some time to understand exactly how the North Shore leadership plans to extract the funds from property owners."

"about $400 annually for a typical residential property owner, unless there is a newfound generosity at a federal or provincial level"

October 4th is two weeks today, aka when the treatment plant sh*t hits the fan.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

From the same article:

"A special meeting of Metro Vancouver to deal with the wastewater project takes place Oct. 4. There is a plan the next day to provide the grim details of the expense and the reasons why. We may have to wait for some time to understand exactly how the North Shore leadership plans to extract the funds from property owners."

"about $400 annually for a typical residential property owner, unless there is a newfound generosity at a federal or provincial level"

October 4th is two weeks today, aka when the treatment plant sh*t hits the fan.

Well timing wise there's some elections coming up so...

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

From the same article:

... We may have to wait for some time to understand exactly how the North Shore leadership plans to extract the funds from property owners."

"about $400 annually for a typical residential property owner, unless there is a newfound generosity at a federal or provincial level"

... but wouldn't the cost be borne by Metro Vancouver taxpayers as a whole, and not just North Shore taxpayers?

[madog222]

Originally Posted by officedweller

... but wouldn't the cost be borne by Metro Vancouver taxpayers as a whole, and not just North Shore taxpayers?

Metro Vancouver adds levies to those in the respective sewage area for these new treatment plants on top of the standard sewer fee.

[jollyburger]

To pay for the sewage plant build some 60 storey towers in Ambleside.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

To pay for the sewage plant build some 60 storey towers in Ambleside.

Nooooooooooo!!!! You spoke the forbidden phrase that summons Nigel Malkin...

[Jimbo604]

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news...-plant-set-to-bust-billion-dollar-budget

Metro Vancouver's North Shore wastewater plant set to bust billion-dollar budget
Deficiencies that are more serious than first thought are pushing the project to a "significant cost overrun," though officials won't reveal estimates that are still confidential.

Author of the article: Derrick Penner
Published Sep 22, 2023

Uh oh, poo poo problems on the shore.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news...-plant-set-to-bust-billion-dollar-budget

Metro Vancouver's North Shore wastewater plant set to bust billion-dollar budget
Deficiencies that are more serious than first thought are pushing the project to a "significant cost overrun," though officials won't reveal estimates that are still confidential.

Author of the article: Derrick Penner
Published Sep 22, 2023

Uh oh, poo poo problems on the shore.

And they still want to let Acciona in on contracts while delivering this mess.

[Klazu]

I haven't been paying attention here but some heads must be rolling for this. There is no way for any water treatment plant anywhere to cost billions of dollars. Even the new one in Victoria came in at a more decent price and that I understoodhaving been a long and painful process. Someone is trying to rob the taxpayer here.

[NewfBC]

They should have allowed a Costco to be built when they had the chance!

Ron.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Klazu

There is no way for any [wastewater] treatment plant anywhere to cost billions of dollars.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, Iona is currently budgeted at 10B.

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

And they still want to let Acciona in on contracts while delivering this mess.

https://thebreaker.news/business/acciona-another-shortlist/

"Acciona shortlisted for more SkyTrain contracts, despite North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant turmoil

...Acciona replaced corruption-plagued SNC-Lavalin as the major infrastructure contractor to the B.C. government."

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by NewfBC

They should have allowed a Costco to be built when they had the chance!

Ron.

Or the bus transit centre!

[jollyburger]

They formed a task force to study the plant.

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/09/30...ask-force-for-new-water-treatment-plant/

[whatnext]

Well, it is a claim to fame if not a catchy tourist slogan... from BBC today: "The Canadian Neighbourhood Heated by Sewage",


The neglected clean heat we flush down the drains
3rd January 2024, 06:00 PST
By Anna Turns
Features correspondent

In this Vancouver suburb, innovative technology is harnessing heat from wastewater and using it as a renewable energy source to heat homes.

In the midst of winter, the streets of Vancouver will be carpeted with a light layer of snow, punctuated by steaming openings where it has already melted. The access holes to the drains below ground are caused by the heat flowing through the city's sewers, warming up the pavements. "There's enough heat in the sewerage system to literally heat up neighbourhoods," remarks Derek Pope, manager of neighbourhood energy for the city of Vancouver, Canada. "That's what we've been doing here in False Creek since 2010."

The residents of False Creek, a recently redeveloped neighbourhood of Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada, get their energy from a rather unusual renewable source – their sewage wastewater. Increasingly, municipalities around the globe are harnessing this underground form of excess heat as they decarbonise their energy networks.
Residents in the 6,210 apartments in the False Creek neighbourhood get their heat from renewable energy sources, with sewage heat being the largest contributor....

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240103-sewage-a-low-cost-low-carbon-way-to-warm-homes