Discussions

So they have been re-doing the track at the Sportsplex for the last few months at what can only be a huge cost. Everything was dug up and replaced. So after the last rainfall, there was a swimming pool on the west end. With all of the laser leveling technology available, why is water pooling on the brand new surface? Who was the contractor on this job?

One also has to wonder what they were thinking when they blasted the paint off the exterior walls and have not yet re-painted. A big event is about to start and the main venue looks shabby!

I noticed that as well, it was an issue before the reno and it was never fixed, I hope that after the games are done the contractor is called back to fix the job properly. Also on the west side I noticed they cut down the only 2 trees mature enough to provide any shade.

and there is alot of standing water. What is going to be done? that is poor quality of work by the contractor, they should be called back to fix the low lying spots. It was an issue before, so why wasn't it fixed?

daisychain said "and there is alot of standing water. What is going to be done? that is poor quality of work by the contractor, they should be called back to fix the low lying spots. It was an issue before, so why wasn't it fixed? "

It is a city policy to take the lowest tendered bid. They pay no heed to warranty offered or actual quality of products/workmanship. And they do not give preference to local companies either, which is pretty stupid given a company that operates here would do a better job to keep their reputation up. Out of town companies do not care....  
 
Funny thing, I have seen enough of these projects around town to know that low ball bids often end up higher than the higher ones that are honest up front.  
 
From what I have seen, there is no accountability for poor workmanship when public coffers are used. Look at both the newest paved sections of princess and Victoria - the lines look like the person driving the truck was drunk in places. The half arsed clean up of the paint spill down First st, I could go on. Get it done fast and cheap, but do not expe t quality at the same time.

The building masonry repair and painting was originally scheduled to be completed before the games in August, but due to a lack of competitive bids the original tender was cancelled and the process restarted. Had the city proceeded to meet the original deadline, they would have paid over three times what they are presently paying for the work, which is now being done by a local contractor.

The track was done by Davan Group, a 20+ year old ON/QC company that has done surfaces for several large universities. They were the lowest bidder out of five, with bids ranging from $460k to $625k. There were no local or even Manitoba bidders; building a high-quality athletic surface isn't the same as filling a pothole, it's not something one can 'buy locally'. In my experience, 'Out of towners don't care' is a bit of a joke; generally, they do large jobs that are beyond the scope of local contractors and therefore have a national reputation to protect, whereas an area business may be the only game in town for a particular task and abuse their monopoly accordingly [Insert people complaining about 'Old Boys Club' for the 1000th time here]. Good and bad in any group, silly to make blanket statements.  
 
Despite claims to the contrary, "Everything" was not dug up, the track was stripped down to the base and built back up. The completed track needed to meet IAAF standards to literally provide an even playing field and was evaluated against that criteria by several entities, including a municipal engineer and representatives of the Legion games prior to the event. The Legion games were apparently positive about the track and facility; they don't owe anything to anyone other than ensuring their athletes have a proper place to compete and are returning next year, so they must be satisfied.  
 
The city removed those trees, either Parks or Sportsplex staff, I don't know.  
 
I assume that before complaining, everyone here educated themselves about the available facts and contacted either their city council member or City Services with their concerns.

and the contractor is aware of the issue and is to have the proper leveling done before winter. Yay!! Glad they are being held accountable.