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Craig Ginther, Division
Manager, Ottawa Central Library and Paul Hussar, Program Manager, Design and
Const – Buildings, Infrastructure and Water Services Department, City of
Ottawa provided a presentation on Ādisōke’s construction update and
operational planning. (Held on file with the Chief Executive Officer).
Key highlights of the
presentation included:
-
Update
on construction progress and schedule, including a camera being installed on
a building adjacent to the project site to facilitate the creation of
time-lapse videos of construction progress at regular intervals;
-
High-level
roadmap of key OPL project activities for the period leading to the opening
of the building;
-
Future
Building Milestones prior to the next report to the Board; and,
-
Operational
Planning (OPL-led).
Trustee
Brockington thanked staff for the public presentation. In response to a
question from Trustee Brockington on what type of outreach staff have done so
that the immediate neighbours of the site are aware of key construction
components (such as noise and vibrations), Mr. Ginther noted that there was
an initial session held in May 2020 for local community members. Since then,
the primary way to connect with the community has been through bi-weekly construction
newsletters via email. He mentioned that a mail out was sent mid-February
2022 for those who signed up to receive them. Within those newsletters,
community members are encouraged to reach out if they have comments or
questions and have been advised that now that drilling has commenced, we
have entered the period where it will get loud.
Trustee
Brockington asked whether the targeted opening date in 2026 is guaranteed.
Mr. Ginther replied that the schedule is part of the contractual obligation
to the contractor, and that there is a specific clause in the agreement for
liquidated damages if the target date is not met.
Trustee
Higdon asked whether there is a storm water tank under the building, and if
so, asked how far down it is. Mr. Ginther confirmed in the affirmative; the
storm sewer runs under the site via the Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel
(CCST). Mr. Hussar also confirmed that the storm water tank is within the
site itself and located under the plaza area adjacent to the project.
Underneath the site is the CCST and that runs into the Booth Street
Collector. He explained that the City cannot discharge directly into that
system. In terms of how far down it is, he said it varies. It slopes down to
Booth Street (and deep in rock up to 10 metres in some locations). Mr. Hussar
said they are drilling deep keystones so that there is no weight or load and ensure
that it will remain whole and safe with no damage to it.
In response
to a question regarding how the system for the storm water works, Mr. Hussar
said that there is a variety of ways storm water is collected. One way will
be by the roofing system, because the green roof will collect and hold a lot
of water. The roof itself collects other water before it is disbursed into
the storm water tank onsite and before it is then distributed back into the
system. The catch basin on site then slowly distributes the water. He noted
that green surfaces (soil, trees) are designed to hold water as well, which
has less of an impact on the water system. The CCST has a series of gates, and
it remains dry most of the time. Mr. Hussar said the intent of rainwater collection
is so that it will not be distributed into the Ottawa River water system.
Vice-Chair
Fisher asked a question regarding the work being undertaken in Phases 1 to 3,
and how it will be met during this term of the Board, specifically relating
to risks in being able to meet those timelines. Mr. Ginther replied that the
Project Team monitors a risk register very closely (budget schedule, etc.) on
a continual basis and noted that mitigation processes are in place. In terms
of confidence in the planned schedule, Mr. Ginther said the Project Team is
very confident as they are ahead in terms of program planning and have a
clear idea of what to do to be ready and how to migrate those services into
the building. Mr. Ginther mentioned that a lot of attention over the next few
years is to plan exactly what will happen in all the spaces and looking at
staff to fill those spaces. In terms of furniture, Mr. Ginther noted that as staff
start to work on space planning, key stakeholder groups will be put together
to look at that, and further noted that there are four years to work through
the details. He said the Project Team has built in a fair amount of
flexibility into the plan, which gives an opportunity to refresh and make
modifications leading up to the year of opening. Danielle McDonald, CEO, said
the Project Team has had the roadmap for several years and has had consultant
advice to draw upon. This year is a test year where we look to see whether we
are ahead of schedule or not, which gives staff time to work through the
details. There is a plan in place, and time on our side, to mitigate risk along
the way.
Trustee Slack
confirmed his vote of confidence in meeting the 2026 targeted opening. He was
pleased to hear about the community newsletters and urged staff to forward
these to the Board. Mr. Ginther noted that Board members can sign up by going
to the Inspire555 website, however, would be pleased to distribute the
newsletter directly to the Board.
Chair Luloff said the creation
of time-lapse videos of construction progress at regular intervals will show transparency
and looked forward to viewing the progress along the way. He noted that Ādisōke
is the largest capital project and it is important to follow along and share
information. He was pleased to see regular updates such as presentations and
reports to the Board.
There being
no further comments or questions, the report was RECEIVED as presented.
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