By Craig Westcott/March 24, 2023
The contract has been let and the equipment has been ordered, but it will likely be this fall before children in the O'Flaherty Crescent area will get to enjoy their refurbished playground.
Council called the tender to supply and install the equipment back in February and on Tuesday awarded the job to the lowest qualified bidder, Emco, for $25,610, HST included. Three other companies also bid the work.
"You may remember the playground on O'Flaherty Crescent last year was closed off or boarded up for a little bit because of damages and need of replacement," said councillor Jim Locke, who introduced the motion to award the contract. "This particular tender is to replace those pieces of equipment there.”
O'Flaherty Crescent is located off a quiet side street between busy Old Placentia Road and the area housing Mount Pearl Intermediate and Mount Pearl Senior High.
After council approved the contract, Mayor Dave Aker asked public works director Glen Dollimount about the timeline for the work. "It takes time to get the equipment in and I think traditionally we've done this in late summer or early fall," Aker observed. "When can the residents of that area expect to see that playground?"
Dollimount said the last time his department spoke with Emco, they were told the equipment was expected in around the latter part of June or early July.
Confirming Aker's observation, the director said staff like to schedule that kind of work for late summer or early fall, because construction sites are usually drier that time of year and it's easier to avoid damaging the surrounding landscaping.
