H-110 Renovations Delayed by Pipe Rupture

Construction Originally Set For Completion at End of January

NewsAndrew Brennan — Published January 27, 2014 | Updated January 27, 2014 at 9:39pm

“At this point they have stopped construction temporarily,” explained Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota.

“There was water filtration into the construction area and so [the project managers] are meeting with the contractor tomorrow to check it out and see what—if anything—that means, if there’s any additional work to be done or what potentially might the delays be.”

The amphitheatre has been closed since the start of the 2013-2014 academic year.

Speaking to The Link in October, Concordia Associate Vice-President of Facilities Management Peter Bolla said the $4.25 million revamping of the university’s most-used lecture space would be completed by the end of January, to then be reopened sometime in the spring semester.

However, Mota says at this time it is unknown whether the construction delays will push back the H-110’s reopening.

“Will that add two or three weeks to the schedule? It might, maybe they can catch up, I don’t know,” she said, adding a better timeframe will be known following the meeting with the contractor.

Project management for the ampitheatre renovation was awarded through publicly tendered contracts to global engineering firm WSP Group, formerly Genivar Inc.

The Montreal-based company, which reported revenues of $1.25 billion in 2012, has been performing project management for Concordia construction projects for over a decade.

As Genivar Inc., WSP Group was named for alleged wrongdoing in multiple testimonies given at the Charbonneau Commission, a public inquiry currently examining corruption and collusion in the awarding of public construction contracts.