Background
According to a 2013 staff report to city council:
In 2006 Council approved the tender to initiate Performance Based Sidewalk Tenders for seven routes located on Peninsula Halifax, Spryfield, Timberlea and North Dartmouth. These tenders were designed for performance management and provided for predictable cost controls regardless of the severity of the winter. In 2008, after realizing the financial success of the contracts, another 22 routes were tendered. To demonstrate the observed success, the following indicate the drop in contractor costs realized over the past seven years:
a) 2006 Average cost per km $6,761
b) 2008 Average cost per km $5,255
c) 2011 Average cost per km $5,044
d) 2013 Average cost per km $4,602
The new contract tender prices for the renewal of the 2008 contracts represent a savings of $564,000 over previous sidewalk snow removal costs. This can most notably be attributed to industry adjusting to performance-based contracting and increased competition.The remaining 17% of sidewalks are delivered by the HRM in-house program, mainly in the capital districts and also allows for the support of incremental snow removal in the capital districts with equipment and manpower. The program has proven very successful as witnessed by examples such as assisting Metro Transit to meet schedules and for ease of passenger loading/off loading at transit stops.
By way of cost comparison, the in-house sidewalk average cost per km for snow and ice control is approximately double that of the historical contracted cost.
I suggest that the drive to achieve ever-lower costs has led to the current problem sidewalks. And there’s some evidence to support my view: in 2013, tender awards were given to various contractors, but the situation was revisited on the peninsula in September 2014 because as a staff report notes:
The previous contract for these routes was terminated as a result of performance based deficiencies. The terms and conditions in the new Tender better reflect the requirements and challenges of these specific routes (i.e. encroachments, width restrictions and hand route requirements). Bidders were required to provide an operational plan detailing measures taken in order to mitigate these challenges in order to demonstrate a thorough and complete understanding of the complexities of these routes.
It’s difficult comparing the different tender awards because the city changed the names of some of the districts in the re-tendering process, but I can tell that the tender for route SWW8, which is for the clearing of sidewalks and bus stops in Bayers Lake and bus stops (no sidewalks) in Clayton Park, was awarded to First Class Grass in 2013, but was awarded to T & T Excavating after it was re-tendered in 2014.
Also, until the September 2014 re-tendering, no maps of the snow-clearing routes were provided in the reports given to council. I’ve asked the city for off-peninsula maps, but until I receive them, I can only show the routes on the peninsula.
On the peninsula
First, sidewalks in the downtown core and across the Citadel and Commons, and sidewalks along most of the main streets — Spring Garden Road/Coburg, Robie, Inglis, North, Quinpool, Gottingen — are the responsibility of the city.
Other sidewalks are contracted out, as follows:
SWP4, which is the south end, up to (but not including) Spring Garden Road (area in white, sidewalks marked in yellow):
SPW4 was awarded to Tracey’s Landscaping Ltd for a total estimated three-year tender price of $343,460.43. In this area, Tracey’s employs:
(2) John Deere 3046 Tractor (48” width with modification kit)
(1) Bobcat S100 (48” width)
(1) Bobcat S510 (60” width)
(4) Hand crews with mechanical snow blowers
Tracey’s can be contacted at 902-404-4397, or daren@traceyslandscaping.com.
SPW5 is everything west of Robie Street, between Coburg and Chebucto Road (area in white, sidewalks marked in yellow):
SWP5 was also awarded to Tracey’s Landscaping Ltd for a total estimated three-year tender price of $542,919.78. In this area, Tracey’s employs:
(3) John Deere 3046 Tractor (48” width with modification kit)
(1) Bobcat S100 (48” width)
(1) Bobcat S510 (60” width)
(4) Hand crews with mechanical snow blowers
Tracey’s can be contacted at 902-404-4397, or daren@traceyslandscaping.com.
SWP6 is everything north of Cogswell and east of Robie Street (area in white, sidewalks marked in yellow):
SWP6 was awarded to Leahey’s Landscaping and Contracting Ltd for a total estimated three-year price of $833,172.4. Leahey’s employs:
(7) Wacker Newson WL30 Tractor (48” width with modification kit) with V Blades and 48” Snow Blowers
(1) Bobcat S100 (48” width)
(1) Bobcat S70 (48” width)
Hand crews where required
Leahey’s can be contacted at 902-445-0060 or office@leaheys.com.
My street (Maynard) is apparently supposed to be covered by Leahey’s, but it is an absolute disaster, and it’s questionable whether anything at all is being done. The half foot of ice built up on the road is giving way in certain areas, leaving what can only be described as fissures. Massive potholes in the ice mean driving through the area feels like off-roading, with cars bottoming out if they go anything faster than 5km/hr.
Are areas covered by Tracey’s any better in anyone’s experience?
Are you describing the street or the sidewalk? Leahey’s contract is for sidewalk clearance only.
Both the street and the sidewalk on Maynard are horrible.
Yeah, “Hand crews where required” sounds about right for my part of Robie Street. I’ve never seen a lone contractor out there.
Are there any larger versions of the maps available?
Oh, nevermind. I see they start on page 6 of this document: http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/141007ca141.pdf
Who clears sidewalks not shown with a yellow line? Fox example, Gottingen Street, South Street, etc.
As explained in the text, the city is responsible for those major routes. It’s a little more complicated than that, however, as the city’s responsibility for the sidewalks on the main routes pre-dates the contracting out of sidewalks on residential streets (tendered in 2013). Some of those routes were also contracted out, many years ago. I’ve asked for more detailed route descriptions, and hope to get them either later today or on Monday.
One would like to think a citizen’s first defence in a functioning democracy is their elected officials.
I’d say whining officials are trumped by inquiring journalists every time.
It would be nice to see the contracts for Dartmouth as well.
Working on it.
As I explained, it requires more digging.