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Close vote to keep Port Coquitlam rec complex project managers

A contract that jumped by $1 million to oversee the construction of the new Port Coquitlam recreation complex will be retained.
rec
A rendering of the Port Coquitlam recreation complex

A contract that jumped by $1 million to oversee the construction of the new Port Coquitlam recreation complex will be kept.

On Tuesday, the city's finance committee voted 4-3 to retain Tango Management as the project leaders for the renewed civic facility, which breaks ground tomorow (Friday).

Mayor Greg Moore, who was in favour with proceeding with the consulting firm along with councillors Dean Washington — PoCo's budget committee chairperson — Glenn Pollock and Laura Dupont, told The Tri-City News the scope and length of the mega-infrastructure project has changed since the firm was hired in January 2015.

And he said re-tendering the project management contract at this point would have delayed construction by up to two months.

"It was a different type of contract than what we put out to bid on," Moore said today (Thursday). "This is a company that we can ensure we will get a high quality. We don't want to nickel and dime on this piece because when you are building a facility this big, you need to have ears and eyes on the ground. We don't have the expertise."

Dupont concurred. "I felt that us waiting another six weeks to go out for another project manager would cost us more in the long run."

Added Pollock, "I think we need to move forward. It wasn't going to raise the budget of the project anyway."

The new rec complex, south of Wilson Avenue, is budgeted to cost $132 million; council had set aside $1.5 million for the project manager.

Still, Coun. Mike Forrest, who voted down the funding bump with councillors Darrell Penner and Brad West, said Tango's fee — rising from $343,000 to $1.35 million — is too high and he believes the city should return to the market. "We're not even close to being done on this complex," he said, adding, "There are going to be challenges along the way."

West said the structural changes that council made don't equate to a $1-million rise. "My feeling was the $1-million increase wasn't justified for taxpayers. We're not talking about a small increase here…. The math is out for me."

The new 205,000 sq. ft. complex — due to be complete in June 2021 — will include three sheets of ice, a leisure pool and Terry Fox Library. New housing and a restaurant will also be built on the south and west sides of the 15-acre property; that will wrap up by 2022.

• To stay up-to-date with the Port Coquitlam rec complex redevelopment, visit portcoquitlam.ca/reccomplex, follow the Twitter feeds at #pocoreccomplex or call 604-927-5420 (project) or 604-927-7529 (programs).

jcleugh@tricitynews.com