Lavender's Blue, Dilly Dilly----Lavender's Green

The contract award for renovations to Aurora Fanily Leisure Complex  was approved in committee last night. 

The  decision will be  ratified   next Tuesday.

I  have been opposed to location and not persuaded by design concept.

I voted  to award the contract.

It was the final step  after weeks of  duly authorized procedure. 

Not to award  the contract would simply deny reality. 

There are other practical reasons. 

Half a million dollars have already been  been spent .

A  financial report presented  to a budget meeting on Monday references numerous  expenditures for projects  eventually cancelled or deferred. 

Not on the list was $323,000  for renovations to the Town Hall.

No longer scheduled . Cancelled . Not deferred. 

The initial plan proceeded to tender, bids  were received, project cancelled  by staff in that order.

An  option  proceeded  as far as Council  before being cancelled. 

It's no small thing to cancel at that stage.

Staff , Architects and  Engineers  have completed their task. specification documents  prepared for  tender are  voluminous and expensive to produce

They are "sold" to  Contractors . hopefully familiar with Public Works projects.

Certified  cheques are posted with the municipality.

The process is formalized and legally circumscribed.

It's a competition. 

Bids  close at  an exact  hour.  On a specified  date.

They are  opened in public, read into the record and referred for analysis and a check on performance competence. 

Days of precise calculations  are essential to complete a bid. 

The investment of funds,  man hours and  risk  are  all inherent in the public process.

There is no room for error

A municipality that  makes a practice of cancelling  projects  does not build confidence.

A municipality can acquire a reputation of being fickle.

Flibberty Gibbet. 

A Reluctant Suitor

Cardboard Cavaliers

A House of Cards 

Slip out the back Jack and  get yourself free