Belleville’s Director of Recreation Mark Fluhrer addressing city council, August 27, 2018 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
After a lengthy discussion and an apology from staff Monday night, Belleville city council moved forward on a revised plan for new public washrooms in Zwick’s Park.
Council had before it a report showing tenders for the washroom building were nearly double the $500,000 budget. The lowest of four tenders was $859,000.
Director of Recreation Mark Fluhrer apologized saying he “felt badly and we need to do better,” referring to estimates before council. He said “The results are upsetting and disappointing.”
The new proposal will cut the washroom stations to four each for male and female and one accessible.
Fluhrer said staff and the architect worked over the weekend to figure out what can be done. “So what we’ve done as a team over the last few days is put together a redesign that can go to tender next week, so we will be able to still reasonably consider having this built in 2018 and ready for 2019 with the finishing touches going in, which would have been the original construction schedule anyway.”
Council is in a Lame Duck situation and cannot approve money over $50,000 and so was in no position to approve any of the tenders.
Some councillors pointed to the fact hundreds of thousands of people use Zwick’s each year.
Councillor Mitch Panciuk said that last summer the smell was bad from the toilets and people brought a petition to council to fix the situation.
Belleville Councillor Garnet Thompson at city council, August 27, 2018 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Councillor Garnet Thompson.
THOMPSON
Mayor Taso Christopher called on staff to “double and triple the maintenance” and put in extra portable washrooms to the end of the Lions Pavilion concert season.
Council approved the changes to meet the $500,000 budget, to ensure the project would go ahead this year, ready for the 2019 season.
