The Town of Innisfil’s costs for the next phase of road improvements on Innisfil Beach Road (IBR) have become clear.
The town has signed a cost-sharing memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the County of Simcoe and InnServices for the project, chipping in 0.5 per cent of the total cost.
That money — estimated to be about $165,000 — will allow for the multi-use trail constructed during Phase 1 of the project to be continued in the second phase, which covers the stretch of road between County Road 4 and County Road 10.
The funds required under the MOU will be formally requested during the town’s 2025-2026 budget deliberations, with an expectation paving of the trail will occur in 2025.
Once completed, the town will be responsible for maintenance of the trail.
The remaining costs of the project are split between the county (68.6 per cent) and InnServices (30.9 per cent). Underground infrastructure work will be completed by InnServices in conjunction with the road widening and improvements being undertaken by the county.
Councillors weren’t overly concerned with the MOU, but more wanted assurance Phase 2 would go more smoothly than Phase 1.
“I’m hoping this agreement will avoid ... what we had on Innisfil Beach Road last time,” Coun. Alex Waters said, referring largely to the reports of dry wells following construction and “contractors not fulfilling their duties.”
“That project took twice as long as it should have taken to get complete and a lot more money, so I just want to make sure that we have no surprises,” Waters continued.
Construction — which will through multiple phases eventually see IBR widened and reconstructed to its western terminus at County Road 27 — began in September 2020.
However as the COVID-19 pandemic dragged on, delays on the project lengthened. The initial completion date for the end of 2021 came and went with IBR still in shambles.
A new contractor was selected by the county in 2023, and the first phase of the project was finally completed before the end of the year.
Dollin told council the delays shouldn’t be an issue this time around, in part because the original contractor won’t have anything to do with the project.
“I’ve been assured by the director at the county that the contractor will never work in Simcoe County again,” the mayor said.
The county is also confident its processes will see the project completed without the same issues that dogged Phase 1.
“The county undertakes 60 to 70 roads projects annually and our procurement team awards approximately 200 contracts annually across all our divisions/service areas and consistently delivers efficient and successful projects,” said county engineering, planning and environment general manager Rob Elliott in an email.
“The county has an industry-leading procurement policy and processes that mitigate risk and provide guidance on contractual relationships,” he continued. “For Phase 2 of the project, the county issued a request for pre-qualification with a focus on experience and capacity in order to further vet contractors."
Seven companies were pre-qualified, Elliott said.
Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler provided some additional context as to what went wrong last time.
“When COVID hit, (the contractor) abandoned projects not just in Simcoe County, but elsewhere,” he said. “On top of that, there was a number of stop payments from the county. So, this company is blackballed for a reason. What they’ve done and how they left everything was not acceptable.”
How much those delays will end up costing the town, however, remains to be seen, Dollin said, as the matter is still before the courts.
Additional clarity on that case was not provided by the county.
“The county cannot comment on an active arbitration,” Elliot wrote.
Fermer was the winning bidder for the Phase 2 contract. It will be on site until the end of November, when work is shut down for the winter. While some utility work will be undertaken during that time, motorists won’t really see any delays until the spring.
“The majority of the reconstruction work is scheduled to occur in 2025 and 2026 with final surface paving in 2027,” Elliot explained. “This fall, Fermar will begin preparatory works such as utility locates, site survey, soil testing, and installing environmental controls.
"Residents and travellers can expect to see the majority of the work occur during the 2025 and 2026 construction seasons," he added.
Despite the issues in Phase 1, the MOU for Phase 2 is a “good news story,” Dollin said.
“There’s only one taxpayer and those residents expect that we don’t put down a new road and then tear it up the next year to put in water and sewer,” the mayor said. “So, we’re doing as we can, together. It does slow us down a bit, but at the same time saves us money.”
