A class act thanks those who stood by him: Henry Schilthuis fetes his friends at Discovery Centre.

By Staff

July 18, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

The sun will set while Henry Schilthuis and his invited  guests enjoy a summer evening and talk about the ordeal most of them went through during the construction of the Brant Street Pier.

The event took place at the Discovery Centre where more than 75 invited guest enjoyed beverages and appetizers and listened to Henry Schilthuis thank each and every one of them for standing by him during the toughest ordeal he has ever had to face.

The concrete used in the Discovery Centre was poured by Schilthuis when that building was constructed.  It seems fitting that Henry and his friends should enjoy themselves in a building he helped build and be able to look out at a building he was not able to complete.

Henry Schilthuis at the official opening of the pier.  He decided the pier could not be safely built at the agreed upon price with the plans he was given.  But he had the courage of his convictions and showed up when it was opened to the public.

When Schilthuis walked off the site because he believed the pier could not be completed successfully with the plans he was given – it was the start of a legal process that would have bankrupted his firm were it not for the fact that trades people, suppliers and advisers chose to wait for Henry to pay them.

One individual who was party to many of the discussions within city hall about managing the pier problem questioned the veracity of the “would have gone bankrupt” comments.  He asked if anyone had seen the Schilthuis financial statements?  The comment is reflective of the attitude the city took to the problem the contractor was having.

The contractor sued for millions while the city counter-sued for more millions and also sued the project manager and the insurance company for $10 million each.  Neither of the three law suits produced as much as a dime for the city.  They did manage to recover most of their legal costs.

The city however was never at risk financially – they had taxpayers they could turn to for the additional funds (more than $6 million) needed to complete the pier.

While the public will never officially hear a word from the city, the problem has the potential to become an election issue if the public can get its head around just how serious a travesty of public stewardship this really was.  For Mayor Goldring to say that some projects turn out to be problems – and that these things happen is disturbing if not a close to total abjegation of public responsibility.

Schilthuis has recovered from the damage the experience inflicted on his firm and he will move on to other projects.  His insurance company bonding was back in place well before the settlement was reached.

Holding an event to thank people is very much in the Schilthuis tradition and a part of the way the company does business.  Holding the event right under the noses of city politicians is a wonderful form of poetic justice.  Will we see Schilthuis bidding on a future project in Burlington?  You never know.  Will there ever be a rapprochement between the current city council and Henry Schilthuis?  If members of this council had as much class as Henry Schilthuis there would be at least a courtesy call.

When the city opened the Community Garden behind the Seniors’ Centre Henry Schilthuis was in the crowd.  When the pier was officially open, Henry Schilthuis was out on the pier.

The one senior person left at city hall who was involved in the pier, Tom Eichenbaum announced his retirement and will turn in his keys at the end of the month.

Don’t ask if Eichenbaum was pushed or if he decided to walk – we all know the answer to that question.

Come October the citizens of Burlington might decide to push a couple of members of council out of those comfortable seats.