HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-01-24, Page 1Blyth council battles contractor over bill
BY KEITH ROULSTQN
Blyth Village Council is locked in
conflict with one of the village’s
largest employers over who should
VOL. 6 NO. 4
serving Brussels, Blyw, Auourn, Belgrave, Ethel,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1990.50 CENTS
Huronview
still on track
Plans for a two-site Huronview,
including a home at Brussels
appears still to be on track, Tom
Cunningham, a member of the
Huronview Board of Management
said Tuesday.
Mr. Cunningham, Reeve of Hul-
lett, said that a meeting Wednes
day between officials of the Mini--
stry of Community and Social
Services and the Huronview
Committee revealed Ministry offi
cials do not appear to be having
second thoughts on the project. At
the January meeting of county
council Tom Tomes, chairman of
the Huronview committee had said
he had heard rumors the Ministry
might now be looking at renovating
the current Huronview instead of
building a new one.
Reeve Cunningham said that the
Ministry officials had earlier given
the county a letter of support for
the project but final approval would
£ have to await the actual architect’s
plans and firm cost estimates.
Costs have been soaring on the
project. The initial estimate was for
$14 million for the two homes, (the
other at the current Huronview
site) but more recent figures show
the cost could go as high as $24
million. Reeve Cunningham said he
felt the officials were as concerned
about the county’s ability to finance
its share if costs rose as they were
about the province’s ability to pay.
Reeve Cunningham said there
was a definite impression left that
while the province wasn’t totally
closing the door on renovation of
the present structure, it was not in
favour of renovation because of bad
experiences in the past.
Citizen
nominations lag
With the nomination period
nearly half over nominations for the
Citizen of the Year awards for Blyth
and Brussels have not been flowing
in in overwhelming numbers.
The award, presented by The
Citizen each year, is designed to
honour deserving people in the
communities served by The Citi
zen. Nominations will be received
until February 15.
pay for the cost overrun on renova
tion of the “Radford” ball dia
mond.
After a special meeting held
Heave ho!
Scouts, Cubs and Beavers attending the Winterfest at the Wawanosh Nature Centre Saturday
found even hard work can be fun. Here two youngsters pull hard in a two-person tug o’ war in
the snow while a leader watches. People from all over the county took part in the event.
between council and its lawyer
Mike Mitchell of Stratford and
George Radford Construction Limi
ted as well as representatives of the
Blyth Slow-Pitch league and Huron
Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Asso
ciation, council issued a written
statement in which it said it
expected Radford Construction to
complete the ball diamond by May
1 and “to honour their commitment
to finish the improvements as laid
out in correspondence to Ken
Siertsema dated August 30, 1988
and confirmed January 24, 1989 at
their expense. No further remuner
ation will be honoured by the
village of Blyth.” The council said
it further expects the company to
donate $1,750 to the costs still to
come. Council is also asking the
Blyth Men’s Slow-pitch league to
give $1,000 and the village give
$500.
The issue arises over an increase
in the costs of construction of the
ball diamond. From figures pre
pared in 1985 for an early estimate
of renovating the ball diamond,
Radford’s had estimated in August
1988 the work could be done for
$6,000. At that time the company
offered to donate half the cost of its
construction bill ($3,000 plus a
personal donation from Diane
Wasson, and Doug Scrimgeour of
$1,000 each. This amount was
confirmed in January 1989.
The problems apparently arose,
however, in the summer of 1989
when the project began to grow.
Incorporated into the project were
plans of the Huron Pioneer Thresh
er and Hobby Association for
improved drainage in the park,
home of the annual Thresher
Reunion. Initially the drainage
wasn’t to be on the ball diamond
itself but at a site meeting on Sept.
11, 1989, attended by village
councillors Ken Brown and Dave
Lee as well as Ken Siertsema of the
Slow-pitch league, Carman Craig of
the Threshers, Bill McClure of
Kirkby & McCallum Drainage and
Doug Scrimgeour and Wayne Mc
Dougall of Radford’s, it was decid
ed to drain the entire ball diamond.
At the same time Radford’s were to
completely strip the outfield, stock
pile the top soil and put in sand
before spreading topsoil back on
and preparing for seeding. This,
Doug Scrimgeour, president of the
company, told council last week,
involved much more work than was
involved in the original estimate. In
addition, he said, the home plate
was moved out from the screen
farther and the distance to the
fences was increased meaning the
total area to be stripped increased
dramatically. Bill Gauley of the
company’s engineering depart
ment presented drawings to show
the effect of the change.
But council, through Mr. Mit
chell, contended the changes didn’t
change the company’s commitment
to its original estimate. “An esti
mate is binding if someone with
knowledge to give an estimate
issues it,” he said. If the cost was
going to increase, he said, Rad
ford’s should have immediately
brought the increased costs to the
notice of council and stopped work.
“In my view, since the estimate is
more than 100 per cent out, the bill
(for Radford’s work done) should
not be paid.”
Radford’s had issued a bill on
Nov. 22, 1989 based on the work
done (the project is still incom
plete) for $11,559. At the same
time the company sent a cheque to
the village for $6,000 based on its
original pledge to give 50 per cent
of its estimated construction costs.
In addition donations of $1,000
each from Doug Scrimgeour and
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