County, township debating building project costs

Jeff Green | Oct 21, 2010

The Township of North Frontenac has asked Frontenac County to consider making changes to its plans for the construction of a fire hall/ambulance base in Ompah.

The project, which is jointly sponsored by the county and the township, with each paying for the costs associated with their own portions of the building, is slated by the county to be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building and to be constructed with the assistance of a project manager.

In a report to North Frontenac Council, the township’s Chief Building Official George Gorrie questioned the value of LEED and the need for a project manager, and the added cost that both will bring to the project.

LEED is a points-based system where points are awarded for different features. Some of those points are not reasonable goals for the kind of building that is being constructed, according to Gorrie.

He pointed out that one point is awarded for having a bicycle storage rack, and one point is awarded for public transportation access, and one point for using alternative fuel vehicles.

“The list of requirements does not work for small buildings that are to be occupied on a limited basis as this fire hall/ambulance station would be. The extra cost and limited usefulness of these features would not make any economic sense,” Gorrie said.

In terms of the project manager, Gorrie said, “The proposed building in Ompah is a fairly small, simple building. I see no real need for a project manager for this project … In my view it would add an unnecessary level of supervisor.”

After receiving Gorrie’s report, North Frontenac Council passed a motion directing township staff to negotiate with Frontenac County “based on the facts LEED standards and the Project Manager are not legislated, not applicable, nor appropriate, for this minimal project and limited usage, etc. and the township cannot afford them.”

As Frontenac County Council prepares to consider this motion at their meeting this week (October 20), county staff prepared a response to George Gorrie’s report and North Frontenac Council’s motion.

In the report, which was prepared by Paul Charbonneau, the Director of Emergency Services, LEED is characterized as having been “endorsed by county council though the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. They have become the standard for all recent projects and have been the standard used when funding applications have been submitted.”

Charbonneau referred to a report that “indicated LEED-certified buildings can save 7-12% in net income through a reduction in operating costs … A simple evaluation of the construction budget versus the value of LEED is short-sighted.”

In terms of the project manager, Charbonneau said, “The county has consistently invested in the services of a project manager. This investment has proved cost beneficial in the short term and will likely prove to be so in the longer term.”

Even in a relatively simple “design-build” project such as the one that is being contemplated, Charbonneau argued that a project manager would be useful.

“In the absence of a project manager, there is a total reliance on the construction company, whose first interest is its bottom line, not that of the client,” he said.

The North Frontenac Township’s stance in regards to LEED standards not being appropriate for this project does have some support in the burgeoning green building community.

North Frontenac Not-For-Profit Housing, which is constructing a five-unit housing project in Central Frontenac, opted out the LEEDS program for their project in favour of another program, Green House Certified Construction.

“We found that for our project the Green House Certified construction standards, which focus on energy use, water use, air quality, and construction materials are more applicable in a rural setting for a smaller project. LEED carries a lot of administrative costs, and other related costs that made it unworkable for us,” said Cam Allen, the project manager for the Central Frontenac housing project.

“For larger commercial and institutional projects LEED is very good, but not for private homes or small commercial projects” he said. “LEED is not the only way to be energy efficient.

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority has not made a commitment to LEED for the new headquarters they are planning to build.

Paul Charbonneau estimates that LEED will add approximately 10% to the cost of the fire hall/ambulance station in Ompah and project management will add another 5-10%.

At the conclusion of his report, Charbonneau asked county council to “provide staff with direction as to how to proceed with future negotiations with the Township of North Frontenac for the Joint Land Ambulance Fire Station Project.”