From the Border Cities Star – April 4, 1929.
THIS is an architect’s sketch of Windsor’s new public market, Pitt street east, which
is to replace the existing structure, which has stood for so long on a site opposite
the central fire station.Setting an example to other civic spending bodies, the City Council, in awarding
contracts for the structure yesterday, kept well under the expenditure limit of
$185,000, set by the ratepayers at the polls last fall, and authorized a start on con-
struction activities by April 10, it a total cost of $180,517.
The article that accompanied the rendering was as follows:
THREE MONTH LIMIT IS SET
City’s Trading Centre To Be Completed By July 10
Council Awards Contract To Walkerville Company
Construction activities are due to start by Wednesday, April 10, on Windsor’s new public, market, with the com¬pletion date set for July 10, three months later.
COST IS $180,517
Costing a total of $180,517, with architect’s fees included, the trading centre will thus be kept well under the spending limit of $185,000 set by the ratepayers of the city last fall when the enterprise was favored by a large majority at the polls.
Contracts were awarded by the city council yesterday as follows: general. Alex Barren, Limited, 344 Victoria Road, Walkerville, at $141,000; plumbing and heating, C. E. Greenan and Company, 210 Windsor avenue, at $20,883; and wiring, Duncan and Moore, 344 Victoria Road, Walkerville, at $10,038.
TWO SESSIONS
Two sessions of the council were necessary before the final award on the general tender was made.
Meeting in special session, under the direction of Commissioner Joshua Gitlin, market chairman, the city’s six-man board opened tenders and found that the lowest of the 11 general contract bids had been submitted by the Gosselin Construction Company, Ouellette Avenue, at $139,000.
Later, after the session broke up, it was found that this tender contained figures for another type of roofing than that set forth in the specifications, and when the bids were re-examined it was found that the Gosselin company’s tender was $379 above that submitted by Alex Barron, Limited, on the basis of the specified type roofing.
AWARD CHANGEDSubsequently the Walkerville firm was given the job, and the former award revoked.
In each of the three contracts the lowest figures submitted in each of the different classifications was accepted by the council. The highest general contract tender placed before the council reached to $166.360. The highest plumbing and heating tender was $26,240, and the highest electrical tender, $12,835.
Plans and specifications for the market, which is to be two stories in height, and of the ramp type, were supplied the city by Trace and Diehl, architects, Bank of Montreal Building. J. E. Trace, one of the members of the firm, had previously informed the council that the specifications could not overrun the sum of $185,000 voted by the ratepayers.
ARCHITECTS’ FEES
Of the total cost of $180,517 involved, the architects fees are placed at $8,596, based on the regular percentage for this kind of work. The cost of wrecking the old market is included in the general contract.
When it became apparent at the first of the two council meetings that the Gosselin company’s was the lowest tender, Commissioner Frank J. Mitchell demurred on the claim that the firm was actually an Arnherstburg company with an office in Windsor. He reminded his colleagues that he had tried some weeks ago to restrict the bids to Border contractors.
Later, when the original contract to the Gosselin company was revoked, this point remained undebatable.
So THAT’S what full disclosure looks like!?!
…and that is what is meant by decisions being made quickly and in the best interest of the ratepayer. Gee, how far we have fallen.
Only three months to build, Eddie and his puppets would have defered the decision to build it that long.
Does anyone know if there is anything, anything at all, be done to bring a public market back to the core?
I remember reading somewhere else in the Windsor blogosphere about a market of a sort opening up around May 4 (that’s all I remember). I checked the DWBIA website but can’t find any media releases about it. Ah, there it is … gotta love Google
http://windsor.kijiji.ca/c-events-The-Market-Exchange-Windsor-Free-W0QQAdIdZ45994563
I tried to see what that May 4th market exchange was about today. I went there during the claimed opening hours and the doors were locked, the lights were off and no one was inside. It’s also pretty small. It looks like they crammed the whole market all into a room with a street window view There were more vendor tables at the armouries when that was opened. If they do plan to open in the future, they lost a customer today. What a waste of my time.
I am suprised it isn’t opened yet either but I am not sure if they are deciding to to put some back into the Armouries or if it is going back to the Pelissier St. parking lot.
The DWBIA better start to replace those who have left because they are falling behind the 8-ball with summer almost here.
From what I understand the Armouries is out as a Market venue.
I’ve seen clothing racks out front of the “market” on Pelissier – could be an issue finding people to work. Last year they had lots of fresh vegetables toward the end of summer. I think it would be worthwhile checking in on them to see when they are open and to encourage them with our patronage.
If the armouries is off the list for market venue option, what about the old barn? Wyandotte and Mcdougall is fairly central to the core, sort of. Is the old arena still in the runnning as a Market (like the st.lawrence/toronto)
I never even knew the old arena was even in the running as a market. That would be an awesome spot for it, but I think city hall has just lost interest in a market. They’d rather divert any surpluses to the 15% salary increases for city hall bosses (as in today’s Star). What a lark. How can they justify matching Windsor’s public servants’ salaries with a prosperous city like Kitchener?? I mean, come on, a comparable house in Kitchener costs 3 times as much as in Windsor. The cost of living is a lot lower in Windsor. If you work in Windsor and are complaining you can gross 10% more a year in Kitchener, move. You’ll pay more in living expenses. Wake up city hall, that money should be spent on revitalizing downtown, not stuffing your already fat wallets.
In today’s dollars, the actual cost comes out to just under $2.5 million.