Aquaculture centre opened three years behind schedule, more than 100% over budget

Premier Kathy Dunderdale opened an aquaculture centre in the south coast community of St. Alban’s on Thursday three years after it was supposed to be finished and at more than twice the original forecast price.

Former fisheries minister Tom Rideout announced the offices and laboratories in 2007.  He estimated the cost at $4.2 million.  It was supposed to be opened in 2008.

In a news release marking the opening, the provincial government reported the facility cost $8.8 million.

Danny Williams included the project as part of the provincial government’s “stimulus” package in 2009.  That was just one of the delayed and over budget Williams included as if they were brand new projects in response to the recession.

- srbp -

Cod farm folds only months into start-up

Cooke Aquaculture is closing an $8.5 million cod demonstration project it opened last year with financial help from the federal and provincial governments totalling $4.0 million.

The facility got its first cod fry in September 2009,

The existing stock will be raised to maturity in 2012, as planned but the company won’t breed new stock.

In a story in the regional weekly newspaper The Coaster, the company blamed higher–than-expected costs and competition from wild cod fishing for its decision.  The company also said it couldn’t attract additional investment from its partners or from the provincial and federal governments.

-srbp-

Burdening our children with increased debt: fish centre costs escalate wildly

An aquaculture centre that was supposed to have opened in 2009 for a cost of $4.2 million will now cost $8.8 million and construction isn’t set to start until later this spring.

Cost of the project shot up 22% in 2009 alone on a project that even then was already 71% over budget. Former fisheries minister Tom Rideout announced the project in 2007 as part of government’s pre-election vote buying orgy of public spending.

The provincial economy shrank by 26% in 2009.

-srbp-

“Stimulus”: price tag on delayed fisheries centre jumps 71% before construction starts

That aquaculture veterinary facility promised by the provincial government to start in 2007 was originally supposed to cost $4.2 million.

It was supposed to open in 2009.

Tenders for site preparation just went out.

The tender for construction won’t be out until the fall.

The new cost is $7.2 million, 71% higher than when it was first proposed.

Tracy Perry, the provincial Conservative member of the legislature for the area attributes the cost over-runs to “design and tender work” whatever that means.

The facility will still take two years to build.  Construction is supposed to start this year but the thing just went to tender, two years behind schedule.

Odd then that back in January, fisheries minister Tom Hedderson described the building as if it was already under construction:

“As well, the new aquatic veterinary facility that my department is building in St. Alban’s is going to help improve on these protocols even further by enabling more timely testing and results.” [Emphasis added]

There’s also a news release from the same time where Hedderson is quoted as saying the same thing.

Incidentally, the size of the new facility hasn’t changed even though the price tag is almost double what it was.

In 2007, then fish minister Tom Rideout told the people of St. Alban’s that the facility would house 10 staff and their offices and equipment. “He said the new facility should be operating by the end of 2008.”

In 2009, the completed facility “is expected to house 10 staff, including development and inspection personnel, as well as aquatic health staff and veterinarians.”

Wonder why the project took two years to start and will cost almost twice as much – during a major recession – if it is basically going to do now what it was supposed to do then.

-srbp-