The first rule of any home renovation is to expect the unexpected. No matter how grand the vision, renovations are a risky business because it’s hard to predict what lies beneath a layer of drywall. Sometimes even a simple project can turn into an expensive headache of nightmarish proportions.
That’s certainly true of St. Albert’s redevelopment of the Riel Park recreation area. Initially a $16.7-million project spanning several stages, the former landfill area has taken on a literal definition of the term money pit. The first stage, the expansion of the Kinsmen RV grounds, a multi-purpose sports field and other site improvements, suffered from one budget overrun after another as costs climbed to $9.5 million, $10.7 million, $12.8 million, and then $14.5 million. The bleeding grew so wearisome that after one cash infusion Coun. James Burrows uttered an appeal to administration: “No cost overruns, please.”
Earth has yet to move on stage two and yet that appeal has long since sunk into the depths of the old landfill. Council on Monday approved another million-dollar bailout, this time to the tune of $2.3 million. That brings the grand tally for the first two stages to more than $21 million, with another $8.1 million to go. Given recent history, it’s not a question of if the project will exceed $35 million, but when.
It’s a bitter pill for any taxpayer to swallow, especially when almost every cost overrun has come with the explanation that the landfill yielded one surprise after another. In some cases decades-old debris was found where it wasn’t supposed to be, construction tenders came in over budget or the scope of the work was simply underestimated. Everyone makes mistakes, us included (which should be plain to see on page 5), however the sheer frequency of budget missteps with Riel Park raises serious doubts about the way the city calculates its capital needs. The city’s apparent ease in finding the extra money needed for these budget foul-ups raises even more questions. Council and taxpayers deserve a true budgetary picture from the outset to determine if a project is affordable, and that includes a frank discussion about the risks, which we now know are significant when building atop a landfill.
Like any home reno, the city has reached the point of no return and council is in too deep to turn back. The city is obligated to remediate the former landfill and sewage lagoon by 2013, meaning it has no choice but to tear up the recreation facilities so they can be capped with heavy clay. Clearly leaving the area as barren earth is not the answer, as some hawkish spending critics would suggest. These are decades-old sports and recreation facilities that add to quality of life in St. Albert and council has approved an outstanding vision for the future. Let’s just hope city hall learns a few lessons from this experience before embarking on the next renovation project.
