Renfrew Town Council has closed one chapter of the ongoing drama at Ma-te-Way Park as another appears to be underway.
Council members met with WCSC Consulting for their third and final report on the issues surrounding the Ma-te-Way Expansion project, reaffirming weak governance, budget discrepancies, poor contract management, inadequate procurement practices, and a lack of project oversight by the previous council, which led to massive delays and a final cost that is closing in on more than double the original budget.
Consultant Tammy Carruthers calls the Ma-te-Way Expansion a “unique” case, pointing out that the town has completed similarly major infrastructure projects without issue in the past.
She also highlighted a few key problems that date back to the first push towards expanding the facility in the early 2010s, such as the insistence on using an early estimate of $18 million for the project when construction firms putting in tenders during the final bidding in 2019 were suggesting it would actually cost closer to $25 million.
Carruthers would go on to say that the project went without finished drawings in many cases, causing delays over reworks and scope creep and forcing the town into a cost-plus contract that added to the already growing budget pains surrounding the construction.
She also brought up an unexplained sense of urgency from the town to complete the expansion in 2022 to fit under supposedly tight deadlines to use grant funding from the provincial and federal governments that didn’t exist.
Carruthers considers the grant application an unfortunate turning point in the project, explaining that the town’s lack of due diligence in ensuring the right budget was in place may have left millions of dollars in grant funding on the table.
She would wrap up her notes by pointing out an unwillingness from the former Parks and Recreation Director and the short-lived ad hoc committee overseeing the project to hear concerns from other members of town staff.
Carruthers’ report details the struggles of former Clerk Kim Bulmer, who laboured to get written minutes, information, and staff reports on what was happening at Ma-te-Way from the Parks and Recreation Director.
Public Works Director Mike Asselin also raised concerns over the type of contract used as well as costs related to site planning, power, and insurance, which were disregarded at the time.
Council expressed their disappointment with what happened behind the scenes during the Ma-te-Way Expansion project, urging the public to read through the 142-page report, which can be found on the town of Renfrew’s website, and share their thoughts and concerns with them.
They also noted that the project is still under a fraud investigation and that more steps remain to hold people accountable for what happened.
(written by Kasey Egan)
