By Chad Ingram
Published Nov. 10 2016
Work on the addition at the Algonquin Highlands township office on North Shore Road has stopped after township officials say the contractor defaulted on the job.
“Unfortunately the contractor has defaulted on the project so the next steps in terms of getting the job finished are in the hands of the bonding company” Reeve Carol Moffatt told the Times. “This is a surprisingly complex and time-consuming process.”
Council awarded the contract for the project to Woodbridge’s Maram Building Corp. in April.
The $580000 project – which includes more workspace for staff as well as accessible washrooms and front entranceway – had initially been scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer.
Some staffers have been working out of the council chamber room at the municipal office with council meetings taking place in the Stanhope Firefighters’ Community Hall also located on North Shore Road.
“We’re extremely disappointed about this and we need it finished as soon as possible” Moffatt wrote. “The public have been great and staff have been real troopers but it’s a challenge to be working in a cobbled-together environment so we’re eager for it to be completed.”
Algonquin Highlands chief administrative officer Angie Bird told the paper the township has put in a claim on the performance bond for the project and is working with the bond company to engage a new contractor. It’s hoped that new contractor will be on site by the end of the month and that the project will be completed by mid-January.
“The township has the balance of the funds that have not been paid to Maram Building Corp. that will be paid to a new contractor to complete the project” Bird wrote in an email. “The performance bond will cover anything over and above that amount up to 50 per cent of the cost of the project. My understanding of the bond process is that there shouldn’t be any additional cost to the township outside the original cost of the project as it will be covered by the bond.”
Bird indicated that some items – such as asphalt patching – may not be completed until spring.
The Times was unable to make contact with Maram Building Corp. for comment.