Saskatoon Construction II

[The S'toon Goon]

I'm not sure this really belongs in this thread, but.......

I found myself in the mayfair/caswell area on 33rd and I know this area gets a bad reputation, especially the more 20th is improving. Anyways, my wife and I went to Christies for lunch and actually found a new(ish) store next door, 'Back to Coffee Beans.' It is an interesting little coffee shop, but it served the absolute best cup of Iced Coffee I've ever had. They had a really impressive coffee bean selection too.

What I found interesting is that the owner of the store, who also runs an antique shop, used to be located on Main street in the spot that is set to become a new office building which got me thinking when that will come to fruition.... I believe they are still waiting on some tenants before they build, but I feel like they've been waiting for quite some time now.

[drm310]

Contractor says city shares blame for one-month delay in project

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix
June 29, 2012 9:17 AM

The contractor in charge of the design and construction of the $300-million Circle Drive south project says the City of Saskatoon is partly responsible for delays that will see the project open one month late.

Bad weather has put the project behind, but there were land acquisition delays at the start of the project and extra work added by the city, said a statement from Graham-Flatiron, the joint venture leading the project.

There have been "numerous delays," Graham-Flatiron's assistant project manager Jorey Deml said in an email statement.

"(We have) experienced numerous delays on the project contributing to the potential late delivery of the Circle Drive south project," he said. "These delays include the weather event in 2010, land procurement delays at the start of the project by the city, weather delays in May and June of 2012, extra work added throughout the life of the project and late review of drawings by the city. [...]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Contractor...e+month+delay+project/6858916/story.html

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by dsim249

I'm cool with that. Their food is terrible.

I've heard it's gonna be a Cora's for Preston Crossing.

I'll second that. The only reason as to why I've been to Applebees - twice - was because I wanted to give them a second chance.

[mattykicks]

Originally Posted by drm310

Contractor says city shares blame for one-month delay in project

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix
June 29, 2012 9:17 AM

The contractor in charge of the design and construction of the $300-million Circle Drive south project says the City of Saskatoon is partly responsible for delays that will see the project open one month late.

Bad weather has put the project behind, but there were land acquisition delays at the start of the project and extra work added by the city, said a statement from Graham-Flatiron, the joint venture leading the project.

There have been "numerous delays," Graham-Flatiron's assistant project manager Jorey Deml said in an email statement.

"(We have) experienced numerous delays on the project contributing to the potential late delivery of the Circle Drive south project," he said. "These delays include the weather event in 2010, land procurement delays at the start of the project by the city, weather delays in May and June of 2012, extra work added throughout the life of the project and late review of drawings by the city. [...]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Contractor...e+month+delay+project/6858916/story.html

Looks like there could be a fight brewing between the city and graham Construction......

[skSK]

With respect to the Circle Drive delays, I'm more concerned with the potential for shoddy work to be done in order to keep the $10,000/day charges from racking up. I have phantom visions of a massive 4-part Holmes on Homes episode detailing how the project was pushed through for expediency at the expense of workmanship, and I don't think I have it in me to hear Mike Holmes say "do it right the first time" thousands of times.

I'm betting the city and Graham will work something out. If the project truly was slowed down by the city's own bureaucracy, then there should be a legitimate case for Graham to get the fines reduced. And if the P3 is how big-ticket infrastructure projects are getting done, city hall may be reluctant to stir the pot with a big player in these projects, especially if they're looking down the road (hehe) at the perimeter highway project. That, and the city loves making compromises, especially when those compromises involve studies over whether compromises are effective.

[Crisis]

While the concern about rushing work to avoid penalties has some degree of merit, I don't believe that Graham would purposefully risk executing any non-conforming work to avoid a $10K/day penalty.
Firstly, the cost of rectifying deficient work far outweighs any schedule advantage gained and simply isn't worth the risk. Secondly, and equally as important, the contractor will do all that they can to complete the job as quickly as possible regardless of any penalty/bonus clauses. Simply put, time is money and the sooner the project is completed, the more money the contractor will make. While a $10K/day penalty may seem substantial, it really isn't that significant on a $250 million project. The General Conditions (what it costs to run the project - i.e. overheads, supervison, safety, rentals, etc.) costs on a project of this scale will be in the $250K - $500K per month range. Basically, Graham is already suffering losses equivalent to the penalty simply by being on site. Technically sophisticated Owners have recognized the folly of penalty/bonus clauses. Hopefully the City of Saskatoon soon will, as well.

[EarlyByrdProductions]

So driving home...the subtle green lights on the new Holiday Inn downtown actually make it look slightly better than the disgusting tinfoil box that it is.

Strangely, it is the opposite than the infamous christmas tree lights on the bridge. That same look Holiday Inn has is what I had envisioned for the bridge...subtle lights that underline and define the shadows and background of the structure and surroundings (the water) to add ambiance etc.

In the meantime, that terrible grey box needs a giant banner for the daytime, promotions (thinking jazzfest) or artsy otherwise to give any kind of distracting merit to one of the newest (and worst) buildings downtown.

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by skSK

With respect to the Circle Drive delays, I'm more concerned with the potential for shoddy work to be done in order to keep the $10,000/day charges from racking up. I have phantom visions of a massive 4-part Holmes on Homes episode detailing how the project was pushed through for expediency at the expense of workmanship, and I don't think I have it in me to hear Mike Holmes say "do it right the first time" thousands of times.

I'm betting the city and Graham will work something out. If the project truly was slowed down by the city's own bureaucracy, then there should be a legitimate case for Graham to get the fines reduced. And if the P3 is how big-ticket infrastructure projects are getting done, city hall may be reluctant to stir the pot with a big player in these projects, especially if they're looking down the road (hehe) at the perimeter highway project. That, and the city loves making compromises, especially when those compromises involve studies over whether compromises are effective.

By the time the deadline comes and goes, there won't be a hell of a lot of structural work left to go mate. What are they going to do? Scrimp on the pavement? Maybe cheat on the painted lines?

[nook]

Originally Posted by EarlyByrdProductions

So driving home...the subtle green lights on the new Holiday Inn downtown actually make it look slightly better than the disgusting tinfoil box that it is.

Strangely, it is the opposite than the infamous christmas tree lights on the bridge. That same look Holiday Inn has is what I had envisioned for the bridge...subtle lights that underline and define the shadows and background of the structure and surroundings (the water) to add ambiance etc.

In the meantime, that terrible grey box needs a giant banner for the daytime, promotions (thinking jazzfest) or artsy otherwise to give any kind of distracting merit to one of the newest (and worst) buildings downtown.

Advertising would be a great way for the hotel to earn some extra cash, plus it could promote upcoming events to patrons of the hotel who may not be aware of what's going on. The Jazz Festival, Taste of Saskatchewan, Folkfest, The Fringe, Airshows, The Memorial Cup, etc. could all advertise their event there. A lot of people go through the city going that way. Why not use it?

[ninipanini]

Does anyone know what's going on at the top of the Broadway bridge right behind the Broadway roastery? I walked by there yesterday afternoon and the Saskatoon Pilates building had been torn down... perhaps a condo tower with a river view?

[Treesplease]

Originally Posted by Crisis

While the concern about rushing work to avoid penalties has some degree of merit, I don't believe that Graham would purposefully risk executing any non-conforming work to avoid a $10K/day penalty.
Firstly, the cost of rectifying deficient work far outweighs any schedule advantage gained and simply isn't worth the risk. Secondly, and equally as important, the contractor will do all that they can to complete the job as quickly as possible regardless of any penalty/bonus clauses. Simply put, time is money and the sooner the project is completed, the more money the contractor will make. While a $10K/day penalty may seem substantial, it really isn't that significant on a $250 million project. The General Conditions (what it costs to run the project - i.e. overheads, supervison, safety, rentals, etc.) costs on a project of this scale will be in the $250K - $500K per month range. Basically, Graham is already suffering losses equivalent to the penalty simply by being on site. Technically sophisticated Owners have recognized the folly of penalty/bonus clauses. Hopefully the City of Saskatoon soon will, as well.

time bonus/penalty clauses are folly due to the penalty associated with just having crews tied up on site and not working on new jobs? This is interesting. What is your take on the new bomber stadium where Stuart Dominion supposedly has a fixed price contract (?) and appears to be dragging their feet - not working weekends or late etc. they don't seem to have much of an incentive to finish quick? - just asking.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Treesplease

time bonus/penalty clauses are folly due to the penalty associated with just having crews tied up on site and not working on new jobs? This is interesting. What is your take on the new bomber stadium where Stuart Dominion supposedly has a fixed price contract (?) and appears to be dragging their feet - not working weekends or late etc. they don't seem to have much of an incentive to finish quick? - just asking.

I would also be interested in Chris perspective....

My own take on it is working extra hours and weekends constitutes overtime for most of the staff. That can become expensive quickly, you have to way that against the cost of rented equipment, financing, lost opportunity costs on projects you may have in the pipeline etc. Having people work extended hours for a few days can help, doing it day in and day out I think you also get a drop in productivity due to fatigue.

[Crisis]

The folly of a penalty bonus clause is realized at the time of tender. If there is any realistic potential of the penalty being invoked, the contractor will calculate that into their tender price, thus setting up a bonus/double bonus situation.

For example, in the case of a $10,000 penalty/bonus clause, the contractor will evaluate the potential of the project running over schedule and allow, for arguements sake, 30 days of penalty time in their price, thus increasing their price by $300,000. If the project runs 15 days over schedule, the contractor will pay a $150,000 penalty. If the project is completed 15 days early, the contractor would earn a $150,000 bonus. Without being aware of the strategy that goes into the preparation of a tender, one would think that the owner either received a $150,000 savings or paid out and additional $150,000 bonus. In reality, compared to a contract with no penalty/bonus clause, the owner paid an additional $150,000 in the first case and an additional $450,000 in the second case.

When reviewing as set of tender specifications, the first thing that a contractor will look for are any liquidated damages or penalty/bonus provisions. Those potential costs will be evaluated and incorporated into the tender price. There are already a multitude of ways that a project can go sideways during the course of construction. The challenge in bidding a project is to identify the risks, gauge the likelihood of those risks occurring and assign money to those risks based on that probability. Liquidated damages and penalty/bonus clauses are right there in black & white in the specifications and are the first risks that will be identified and mitigated.

As for the strategy of Stuart Olson Dominion on the Winnipeg Stadium, your guess is as good as mine as to what they are thinking. I had thought that it had been a Construction Management project converted to Lump Sum. If that is the case, I don't understand why they would be slow-walking that thing. Even if it had remained Construction Management, I would think they run great risk to their reputation (and ability to secure future Construction Management work) based on the perceived lack of urgency on that project.

[Treesplease]

Thanks for the response. I've had experience putting out tenders (not construction) but have never been on the other end. It seems that bonus/penalty clauses related to specific deadlines would elevate the level of the timeline risk and make the contractor factor in overtime or extra subs etc. ie focus the senses and ensure the timeline has a 90% chance of being met as opposed to 60%. Would it not depend on the project as well - ie there may be penalties to the owners if the project is late due to lease obligations etc. vs a project with no follow on costs other than inconvenience if its late.

[Devon]

Originally Posted by ninipanini

Does anyone know what's going on at the top of the Broadway bridge right behind the Broadway roastery? I walked by there yesterday afternoon and the Saskatoon Pilates building had been torn down... perhaps a condo tower with a river view?

I stopped by the sale they had before they tore the building down and the woman running it (I assume to be the Saskatoon Pilates owner) said it will be a parking lot. for now.

[ninipanini]

Originally Posted by Devon

I stopped by the sale they had before they tore the building down and the woman running it (I assume to be the Saskatoon Pilates owner) said it will be a parking lot. for now.

That's depressing... I now people complain about parking on Broadway - although I always thought that was strange because 1 block up there is always tons of free parking - but really? A parking lot I wonder if they have any vision for something that would actually contribute to the area?

[Echoes]

Phase 1 of Central Avenue Streetscape Improvements Begin
For Release: July 3, 2012
CY12-245

The City of Saskatoon is pleased to announce the commencement of Phase 1 of the Central Avenue Streetscape Improvement Plan this month. The plan includes enhancements to the land between 107th Street and 115th Street along Central Avenue, and the commercial and residential district on Gray Avenue. This large scale project will be completed in phases, with Phase 1 encompassing aesthetic improvements to the street and sidewalk areas on the south side of the 109th Street intersection to the north side of the 110th Street intersection along Central Avenue. The plan incorporates designs that will highlight local history and heritage, and incorporate interpretive features wherever possible.

The entire streetscape project will consist of:

improvements on the west side of Central Avenue, including street corner bulbing, sidewalk furniture, street trees, improved lighting, bollards, bike racks, waste receptacles, and a new sidewalk with amenity strips;
improvements on the east side of Central Avenue, including street bulbs, sidewalk furniture, improved lighting, and street trees;
a multi-use path running along the east side of Central Avenue from 108th Street to 115th Street;
a decorative fence providing a visual separation from the CP Railway property; and
roadway re-surfacing from 107th Street to 111th Street and upgrades to water lines between 109th Street and 110th Street.
“These much-needed improvements to this important commercial and historical area of Saskatoon are yet another example of the City investing in what matters,” said Alan Wallace, Manager of the Planning and Development Branch. “We’ve listened to our citizens and business partners, and want to improve the streets and sidewalks so everyone has a safer and more enjoyable experience using them.”

The total cost of the project is $1.6 million, which has been completely funded by the administration fees on new land sales. The plan was developed in conjunction with the Sutherland Business Improvement District to improve safety for vehicles and pedestrians and the overall aesthetics of the commercial area while keeping important ties to Sutherland’s lively and significant past. Central Avenue has existed since the early 1900’s and this is the first significant upgrade to the streetscape since that time.

Businesses will remain open as usual during the construction period, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of August. Sidewalk access will be limited until July 7, 2012, and pedestrians are encouraged to watch for alternate access signage onsite.

Source

[Morogolus]

Not a lot going on these days so I thought I would post 100 Things to do in Saskatoon from Jordon Cooper's blog. A nice little article with some well known things and some of the city's best kept secrets.

[c@taract_soulj@h]

It's Souljah back from a long snooze! Plane tickets not booked yet but still lookin fwd to when I visit

I found this clip and thought i'd to share this hilarious (sadly true?) vid with all you guys.

The guys not exactly the greatest behind the wheel either...3:34 takes the cake tho lmao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GdXzQLG_58

[Echoes]

Central Avenue's $1.6M facelift begins
Owners divided on parking meters

By Charles Hamilton, The StarPhoenix July 4, 2012

Business owners in Sutherland are applauding the beginning of a $1.6 million facelift along historic Central Avenue. But paying for future upgrades via parking meter revenue on the busy commercial street is not sitting well with some.

"I'm excited about the fact that they are finally fixing up Sutherland," said Leanne Thompson-Hill, who owns two businesses on Central Avenue, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, a girls' and boys' clothing store, and Tantrix Body Art.

"(But) I don't think there is the demand (for parking meters) because most businesses have parking. If people come to my business they don't have to go park out on the street."

By the end of August, the city says the stretch of road between 107th Street and 108th Street on Central Avenue will be "revitalized" with the addition of sidewalk benches, trees and bike racks. They are promising improved lighting and a multi-use path along the east side of the street.

"I think this will end up being a real cultural corridor," said Coun. Darren Hill, who was on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday.

Parking meters are not part of the initial phase of the improvement plan, but the idea of parking meters has been raised at city council several times. Advocates of paid parking say meters will improve turnover rates for businesses. The revenue from parking meters would go toward future streetscape improvements.

"We will be entertaining the idea," said Sheldon Wasylenko, chair of the Sutherland Business Improvement District.

The current improvements, which began Tuesday, are funded by money left over from land sales. But Wasylenko said parking meter revenue could help with future phases.

[....]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Central+Avenue+facelift+begins/6880301/story.html#ixzz1zfEV0Opc