It happens. We got it wrong when we wrote a cut line that was incorrect and misleading. We apologized and changed the cut line.

November 28, 2013

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.   At a Standing Committee meeting more than a year ago city General Manager Scott Stewart told a group of Soccer Moms that they needed to work with the then Acting Director of Parks and Recreation Chris Glenn to resolve the issue of scheduling time in the soccer domes at Sherwood Forest Park.

When Scott Stewart wants to make a point – you get the look.  We got the look – and we got the point.

Stewart closed his remarks with words to this effect: If you can’t work the problems out with Mr. Glenn then you will have to work them out with me – and you don’t want to have to work with me. 

We were just getting used to Mr. Stewart at the time.

A few weeks ago we did a piece on what the public expects its taxes to pay for and we wrote the following cut line beneath a picture of the completed pier.

What scares the daylights out of many informed taxpayers is city hall finding that they really don’t know how to complete a project successfully. The Pier was a disaster from a construction management point of view. The King Road grade separation went very well – it was managed by CN Rail. The Alton project went exceptionally well – it was led by the Board of Education.

Mr. Stewart invited us out for a conversation, which at the time we didn’t see as one of those “don’t want to have to work with me” situations.  We were wrong then – it was a need on our part to work things out with the General Manager. We were wrong with the cutline as well.  The cut line has since been changed.

Stewart was not with the city when the first pier contract was awarded.  He was very much in place when the second contract for the pier was awarded and he was on top of, if not all over, every problem that cropped up.  The planned wind turbine being one of the problems.

We all make mistakes – this one was just so very public.

The building of the Alton complex was a three partner situation with the Board of Education actually awarding the contract and city engineers involved on a daily basis.  It wasn’t always the smoothest of working relationships but it did get built on time and on budget and the public has taken to what was built.  They took to the pier very positively as well.

Now we wait for the official opening of the King Road grade separation which will see the Mayor drive through early in December.  Some had hoped his worship would choose to ride a bicycle.

Somewhere in the crowd Scott Stewart will be standing with his team – pleased with the way the project went and delighted that the railway had to pay for most of the work that was done.  When we do the piece on that opening we will be absolutely certain that we get the cut line right.

There was a plus side to all this: Stewart picked up the tab for the get together.

Return to the Front page

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

3 comments to It happens. We got it wrong when we wrote a cut line that was incorrect and misleading. We apologized and changed the cut line.