Opinion | If arena reno can be done on time, why not city projects?
The private sector has moved nimbly on a $300-million TD Coliseum overhaul.
Oak View Group says the renovations on TD Coliseum in downtown Hamilton will be done on time and on budget to host Paul McCartney in November.
TheHamilton Spectatorfile photo
Hanging on a wall in the construction office for the TD Coliseum renovation is a countdown clock. An unblinking, merciless reminder that this project must be done by Nov. 21.
If it isn’t?
“Paul McCartney’s booked,” says Oak View Group’s senior vice-president of project management, Paul Young, who insists there’s a 100-per-cent chance it’ll be ready. “We’ve sold tickets. People expect to come. If we don’t do that, I would say it’s a company embarrassment and a personal embarrassment.”
Interesting. Wonder if those in government ever feel that?
In a town where public projects often seem to finish well past their due dates — and we won’t even talk about hitting budget numbers — do we ever get the feeling such failures truly weigh on those at city hall? Or are they just, y’know, something that happens?
While you ponder that, it’s worth asking why a $300-million renovation of a massive arena can be done in roughly the time it’s taking the city to rebuild a small, burned-out public bathroom. Why can the private sector move so nimbly and deliver what was promised when it was promised while so often we hear a different story from the public sector?
“It’s mystifying,” says Coun. Jeff Beattie. “I honestly don’t know why as a public entity, we seem to stall on a lot of the projects.”
“As a city, we need to look at how the residents look at us as failures,” says Coun. Esther Pauls. “They look at us like, ‘How come they couldn’t do that?’”
There’s no shortage of recent or current examples. A massive bus barn already facing huge cost overruns is delayed by ventilation issues, a major road project in Ancaster is a year behind, an outdoor shelter project lags and then goes way over budget, a promised public park in the north end is stuck in a loop of endless environmental tests, the Waterdown bypass is long delayed, housing projects linger, and on and on.
And, though it’s being managed by the province, let’s not even start on the LRT. It’s so far behind schedule few of us can even remember what the original schedule was.
“If a private company ran their business the way the city runs its business, they’d be bankrupt in a month,” says Coun. Matt Francis.
Is there a sense that those in charge are embarrassed by all these situations? The way Young and OVG’s vice-president of project management, Ryan Zrenda, say they would if this arena project had gone sideways?
Beattie says he is. Francis says he is. Coun. Ted McMeekin says he is. Coun. Brad Clark says he is.
“Truthfully, it’s frustrating,” Beattie says. “It’s frustrating as hell.”
Perhaps this downtown success story should be used as an educational moment. An opportunity for this city to learn from the folks at OVG about getting things done on time and on budget.
As Young and Zrenda talk about what works well for them, they offer an intriguing road map. Starting with the first important ingredient.
“Pride,” Young says. “I think Ryan and I both take pride in what we do.”
Good start. Next?
They talk about culture. They talk about expectations. And they talk about motivation to hit the target date because if you stay on time, costs usually stay where they’re supposed to be.
“In my experience, if you do things to keep on schedule, most of the time the budget follows,” Young says.
That ties into an urgency at play. One you don’t always feel from city hall. Pauls says circumstances sometimes get blamed when things don’t go as planned. Clark says lots of hurdles are put in the way of contractors, which slows things down. Francis says the attitude often seems to be that there’s always more taxpayer money available if needed.
Frankly, council should have some of the OVG crew in to speak to every city manager before the construction team packs up and heads out of town. Then demand staff follow some of the lessons they can offer.
Because this project has shown things can be done promptly and can come in on budget here in Hamilton. It’s possible.
When the folks in charge truly believe there’s no other option and they absolutely have to, that is.