1.             SURFACE OPERATIONS FACILITY RATIONALIZATION & CONSOLIDATION

 

RATIONALISATION ET REGROUPEMENT DES INSTALLATIONS D’OPERATIONS

DE SURFACE

 

 

 

Committee recommendationS AS AMENDED

 

That Council approve:

 

1.                  The Surface Operations Branch Facility Rationalization and Consolidation Plan as outlined in this report, subject to the closure and consolidation of operations of the Kinburn Salt Storage and the Torbolton Facilities to the West Carleton Fitzroy Facility being deferred, pending further analysis of the servicing, facility costs and land utilization of these sites, and that staff report back to Committee on the results of this review.

 

2.         The relocation strategy of the Heatherington Works Yard to the vacant property adjacent to the Conroy Road Snow Disposal facility at 3100 Conroy Road, subject to all necessary approvals including zoning approval;

 

3.         The operating and lease costs of $150,580 for the leased park operations facility be included as a budget pressure in the 2008 Draft Operating Budget;

 

4.         The $4M construction budget for the expansion of 1655 Maple Grove Works Facility form part of the 2008 Draft Capital Budget, as identified in the 2008-2016 capital forecast.

 

 

RecommandationS MODIFIÉES du Comité

 

Que le Comité des transports recommande au Conseil d’approuver ce qui suit :

1.         Le plan de rationalisation et de regroupement de la Direction des opérations de surface décrit brièvement dans le présent rapport, sous réserve du report de la fermeture de l’installation d’entreposage de sel de Kinburn et de l’installation de Torbolton et du regroupement de leurs activités à l’installation de West Carleton-Fitzroy, dans l’attente d’une analyse plus poussée de la viabilisation, du coût des installations et de l’utilisation des sols à ces endroits et de la présentation par le personnel d’un rapport au Comité sur les résultats de cet examen.

 

2.                  La stratégie de déplacement de la cour des Travaux publics Heatherington vers la propriété vacante jouxtant le dépôt de neige du chemin Conroy, au 3100, chemin Conroy, sous réserve de toutes les approbations nécessaires, y compris celle relative au zonage ;

 

3.                  Les coûts d’exploitation et de location de 150 580 $ pour les installations louées pour opérations des parcs soient inclus dans la catégorie des pressions budgétaires dans le budget de fonctionnement de 2008;

 

4.         Le budget de construction de 4 millions $ pour l’expansion du dépôt situé au 1655, ch. Maple Grove fait partie du budget des immobilisations de 2008 préliminaire, comme déterminé dans les prévisions des immobilisations pour 2008 à 2016.

 

 

 

 

Documentation

 

1.      Deputy City Manager, Public Works and Services, report dated 5 April 2007 (ACS2007-PWS-SOP-0003).

 

2.      Extract of Minutes 6, Transportation Committee meeting of 2 May 2007.


Report to/Rapport au :

 

Transportation Committee

Comité des transports

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

5 April 2007 / le 5 avril 2007

 

Submitted by/Soumis par:

R.G. Hewitt, Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint,

Public Works and Services/Services et Travaux publics

 

Contact Persons/Personnes-ressources:

John Manconi, Director/Directeur

Surface Operations/Opérations de surface

(613) 580-2424, x/poste 21110, John.Manconi@ottawa.ca

 

City Wide                                                                                Ref N°: ACS2007-PWS-SOP-0003

 

 

SUBJECT:

Surface Operations Facility Rationalization & Consolidation

 

 

OBJET :

rationalisation et regroupement des installations d’opérations de surface

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That the Transportation Committee recommend that Council approve:

  1. The Surface Operations Branch Facility Rationalization and Consolidation Plan as outlined in this report, and

  2. The relocation strategy of the Heatherington Works Yard to the vacant property adjacent to the Conroy Road Snow Disposal facility at 3100 Conroy Road, subject to all necessary approvals including zoning approval;

  3. The operating and lease costs of $150,580 for the leased park operations facility be included as a budget pressure in the 2008 Draft Operating Budget;

  4. The $4M construction budget for the expansion of 1655 Maple Grove Works Facility form part of the 2008 Draft Capital Budget, as identified in the 2008-2016 capital forecast.


 

RECOMMENDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité des transports recommande au Conseil d’approuver ce qui suit :

1.   Le plan de rationalisation et de regroupement de la Direction des opérations de surface, tel que décrit brièvement dans le présent rapport, et

3.      La stratégie de déplacement de la cour des Travaux publics Heatherington vers la propriété vacante jouxtant le dépôt de neige du chemin Conroy, au 3100, chemin Conroy, sous réserve de toutes les approbations nécessaires, y compris celle relative au zonage ;

 

  1. Les coûts d’exploitation et de location de 150 580 $ pour les installations louées pour opérations des parcs soient inclus dans la catégorie des pressions budgétaires dans le budget de fonctionnement de 2008;

 

  1. Le budget de construction de 4 millions $ pour l’expansion du dépôt situé au 1655, ch. Maple Grove fait partie du budget des immobilisations de 2008 préliminaire, comme déterminé dans les prévisions des immobilisations pour 2008 à 2016.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

The existing inventory of facilities available to Surface Operations is a legacy of the amalgamation of 12 municipalities and, as such, was optimized for the independent operations of each of the former entities.  As part of the Strategic Alignment Initiative Program, the Branch has integrated its activities under one organization for each service group, i.e. Roads, Parks, Forestry and Technical Support.  The reorganization and realignment of service locations has changed the overall requirement for facilities, (see Attachment 1).  Accordingly, the Branch is reducing the number of work centres and material storage sites used in delivering its services. 

 

Relocation of work centres is being planned in accordance with a recently completed comprehensive review to analyze options for seasonal housing of equipment and staff, taking into account growth projections within each designated area.  In order to provide uninterrupted summer and winter service requirements, building modifications and expansions must be completed before the transfer of staff, equipment and materials can take place.  Once the transfers are completed, the vacated properties will be available for disposal or reallocation to other City Departments.

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

At the time of amalgamation, the Surface Operations Branch inherited an extensive property inventory comprised of functioning operational work centres, dedicated snow disposal facilities and vacant property scheduled for future needs.  During the first years, the Branch focused on the immediate advantages of sharing operational centres and reducing the number of snow disposal facilities.  These changes did not require capital investment to facilitate staff, equipment and material storage locations.  Staff, equipment and material inventory from site closures were redistributed to locations within the same geographical area.  Between 2001 and 2006, the Branch eliminated three (3) work yards and discontinued operations in eight (8) snow disposal sites.

 

Facility Closures 2001 - 2006:

735 Industrial

Ø     Administrative centre, equipment storage, salt dome

Ø     Currently occupied by Emergency Measures, By-Law Services and Infrastructure Services Material Testing Labratory

Ø     Planned location for OC Transpo Garage expansion

 

25 Carsdale Avenue Rockcliffe Village

Ø     Work centre, equipment & material storage

Ø     Land value approximately $1M

Ø     Site was sold and redeveloped into a condominium complex

805 Belfast – Transitway Maintenance

Ø     Work centre and equipment storage

Ø     Currently occupied by RPAM – Venture Properties

 

Closure of these sites has allowed for consolidation of Surface Operations staff and services while freeing up space for reallocation to meet Corporate growth demands.  They have also generated funds for the City of Ottawa through sales and reducing the overall budget requirements for specific projects, eg. land acquisition for bus garage expansion. 

 

Snow Disposal Site Closures 2001 – 2006

In addition, the following snow disposal sites have been decommissioned and the properties returned to corporate inventory for disposal or reallocation:

 

·        Canotek Road at Green Creek Drive

·        Cyrville SDF - 1951 Cyrville Road

·        Glen Cairn SDF – Terry Fox Drive at Castlefrank Road

·        Industrial SDF – 735 Industrial Avenue – proposed OC Transpo Garage expansion site

·        Maple Grove A – 1635 Maple Grove Road

·        Rideau SDF – Rideau Road & Albion Road

·        Tenth Line SDF – Tenth Line Road & Vanguard Avenue

·        Whalen Park SDF – Richardson Road & Kanata Avenue–continued requirement for park land.

 

Surface Operations facility and snow disposal site closures costs between 2001 and 2006 were covered through the transition budget.  Operational savings were identified as part of the  amalgamation savings for the Department.

 

In order to achieve further cost efficiencies, while maintaining existing service levels, the Surface Operations Branch  requires a capital investment to facilitate relocation of staff, equipment and material storage requirements.  The funds approved in the 2007 Capital Budget will allow for expanding and retrofitting existing work centres to accommodate the transfer of resources from sites slated for decommissioning and/or abandonment.

 

Detailed strategies associated with Snow Disposal Facilities, along with funding, are covered in other reports, such as the recent Innes Snow Disposal Facility report.

 

2007 Facility Consolidation and Property Rationalization Work Plan

 

The Surface Operations Branch has prepared a facility consolidation and property rationalization work plan for 2007 that will utilize approved capital budget authority with the objective of consolidating operations to reduce the number of facilities and properties currently in use.  The 2007 work plan will use three distinct project types to deal with facility and property consolidation.  Work will include:

1.      Closures and relocation of equipment, material storage and staff accommodations to existing Surface Operations facilities within the same geographic area.  Table 1 details the sites slated for closure and relocation.

2.      Major construction projects to replace or replicate existing work centres.

3.      Minor construction projects to facilitate growth and transfer of work units.

Facility Closure and Rationalization

 

This report outlines the facility closures and rationalization for relocation and redeployment of equipment, materials and staff.  Identification and utilization plans for facilities that are to remain in Surface Operations Branch inventory was based on a detailed review of best practices for equipment storage. The basic criterion for equipment storage was how much indoor space is required to accommodate winter maintenance activities.  In order to assess the requirement for winter equipment storage, the Branch conducted research of current practices with other municipalities, agencies and contractors involved with winter maintenance programs.  Using the details obtained through research and experience gained through best practices, the Branch devised a new method for winter equipment storage requirements.

 

Through the use of cold storage buildings with electrical connections for block heaters, hydraulic line heaters, cab heaters and battery blankets, the Branch can reduce the overall requirement for indoor heated space for winter equipment parking.  This refinement in operational practice allows for consolidation of equipment at a centralized geographic site without having to construct expensive heated facilities.  Winter equipment classifications were reviewed and only those that actually require heated storage for better performance or service response times will be housed in heated facilities.  This requirement will be accommodated through use of existing facilities.

 

Equipment that can be placed outside or in a cold storage location with electrical plug-ins will not be placed inside a heated facility.  This change in equipment storage practices allows for the closure of surplus sites and reduces the overall cost for facilities and storage sites.  Funding for Winter Materials Storage Facilities and SOP Consolidation was approved in the 2007 Capital Budget.

 

Table 1 - Facility Closure and Relocation

Facility for Closure

Existing Inventory

Relocation Facility

Upgrade Requirements

Kinburn Salt Storage
5751 Carp Road

Salt dome Communication Tower

West Carleton Fitzroy Garage

4127 John Shaw Road

Construct salt/sand dome

Torbolton Garage

1444 Kinburn Road

1 Dome

1 Office Work Station,

4 Garage Bays

West Carleton Fitzroy Garage

4127 John Shaw Road

Provide salt/sand storage capacity in new dome, construct cold storage with plug-ins for winter equipment, construct office and staff facility to accommodate transfers, fuel dispensing station

ROC Carp Garage

2847 March Road

1 salt dome and 2 sheds

2 office work stations, staff accommodations, 6 garage bays, calcium chloride tank, fuel station

West Carleton Huntley Garage

2941 March Rd.

1 salt-sand storage facility, cold storage with electrical plug-ins, work stations & staff accommodations, fuel station

Marlborough, materials storage

Malakoff Road

1 salt dome

Rideau Yard

2145 Roger Stevens Road

1 salt storage facility

ROC Greely Yard

7203 Parkway Road

1 salt dome

3 office work stations

5 garage bays

Scrivens Yard

2481 Scrivens Drive

1 salt storage facility

Leitrim Yard

3200 Leitrim Road

1 salt dome

3 garage bays

1 office work station, staff accommodations, fuel station

Manotick Yard

4244 Rideau Valley Drive

 

Scrivens Yard

2481 Scrivens Drive

 

Staff accommodations at Scrivens Yard

Cumberland Leonard Yard

4001 Dunning Road

1 salt dome

1 office work station, staff accommodations, 5 garage bays, fuel station

Navan Yard

2264 Colonial Road

1 salt storage facility, office and staff accommodation space, high speed line connection, cold storage with electrical plug-ins for winter equipment

 


Major Construction Projects

 

As part of the overall strategy, the Surface Operations Branch will be undertaking two major facility construction projects to replace existing facilities namely Kanata/Maple Grove facility and Heatherington Yards.

 

Project 1.    1635 Maple Grove Yard

On June 28, 2006, a fire destroyed the former City of Kanata Works Garage at 1635 Maple Grove Road.  This facility housed the West Parks service group from Surface Operations, as well as garage space for Fleet Services and support staff.  There is an existing work centre on the adjacent property at 1655 Maple Grove (former Regional Facility) that served as the Roads maintenance centre for the Kanata area.  

 

With the loss of the facility at 1635 Maple Grove, the Branch has an opportunity to consolidate operations onto 16 acres at 1655 Maple Grove.  The operational plan is to abandon the 1635 Maple Grove site, a portion of which has been identified in the Kanata West Concept Plan as the location of a future stormwater management pond to service the developing areas to the southwest.  The remainder of the property will be available for alternate uses.  The facility at 1655 Maple Grove will be expanded to become an integrated facility to accommodate Parks, Roads and Forestry operations for Surface Operations and garage space for Fleet Services.

 

For 2007, the project will include setting up an interim lease agreement to provide operating space for the West Parks group.  This alternate space will be required until the facility at 1655 Maple Grove is expanded to replace the capacity lost in the 1635 Maple Grove fire, plus additional space to accommodate growth in system infrastructure for Roads, Parks and Forestry. 

 

A separate report will be forwarded to the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee in May 2007 by Real Property Asset Management Branch, providing all relevant details.

 

In 2007, Real Property and Asset Management (RPAM) in conjunction with Surface Operations and  Fleet Services will  prepare a building design for expansion of 1655 Maple Grove.  The building and site design is estimated to cost $550,000.  Furthermore, to coordinate interim service hook ups for the proposed site expansion, there will be an additional expenditure of $500,000 this year.  Funding for the design and interim servicing was approved in the 2007 Capital Budget.  Building and site construction at 1655 Maple Grove is estimated to cost approximately $4M, which was identified in the 2008 – 2016 Capital Budget Forecast.  Subject to budget approval, the construction is scheduled to start in 2008.

 

Project 2.   Heatherington Building Replacement
This project involves the complete replacement of the Surface Operations facility at 1770 Heatherington Road.  This site has reached the end of its service life, as the buildings have been restricted from use due to Ministry of Labour orders for unsafe conditions.  Staff are currently being housed temporarily in construction trailors until the new facility is constructed.

 

As part of the ongoing design review, the Branch is considering the relocation of Heatherington Works Yard to the vacant property adjacent to the Conroy Road Snow Disposal facility at 3100 Conroy Road, subject to all necessary approvals including zoning approval.  By consolidating operations at the Conroy Road Snow Disposal Facility, the Surface Operations Branch will be creating a multi-use site as opposed to the current single function site.  The new operations garage will function as a joint parks and roads maintenance facility.  This approach will also free up the Heatherington site for disposal, while consolidating Surface Operations works on a joint use site.

 

The property at 1770 Heatherington is a prime location for development for infill residential and/or commercial properties.  In a January 2005 Appraisal Report, the 1770 Heatherington Road site was valued at about $3.1 M.

 

A design team has been formed to prepare a plan to reconstruct the Heatherington Works Yard at its current site or to relocate to a new site on Conroy Road, adjacent to the Snow Disposal Facility.  The plan is to finalize the proposed building site, obtain all necessary zoning and site plan approvals and to prepare design drawings in 2007, and start construction in 2008.  Funding of $4.64 M for the replacement of the Heatherington Facility was approved in the 2007 Capital Budget.

 

Minor Construction Projects to Facilitate Growth & Transfer of Work Units

 

The Surface Operations Branch will be undertaking minor construction projects to make alterations to work units to align with revised service areas.  The changes in deployment location combined with system growth will require modifications to existing garage space at 1159 Moodie and 320 Bloomfield.  Construction activities include creating additional cold storage capacity, insulation of existing structures, plus expansion and upgrades to staff work areas.  Funding for these minor projects are included in the 2007 Capital Budget to address these capital requirements.

 

Joint Use Options for Surface Operations Facilities & Properties

 

Surface Operations has been actively involved in identifying and implementing opportunities to accommodate co-location of Corporate Groups in the existing work centres and also to pursue options to develop  multi-purpose plans for various properties.  Co-location or joint use options for Surface Operations facilities reduces the overall cost for site accommodations or land acquisitions required to house City equipment or construct City owned infrastructure.

 

Co-located Sites include:


Emergency Services

·       Land Ambulance Station at 1655 Maple Grove

·       Land Ambulance Station at 911 Industrial

·       Police Services Equipment and Material Storage at 1159 Moodie, Greely, and Navan


 

Traffic and Parking Operations

·       Sign Installation Shops at 1159 Moodie Drive and 1951 Cyrville Road

 

Real Property and Asset Management

·       Technical Support and Trades Shop at 1159 Moodie Drive

 

Utility Services

·       Maintenance yards are used to host community based Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off Events. 

 

Community Support provided at Surface Operations Sites

 

The geographic location of the various work centres used by Surface Operations provides for easy access to neighbouring communities and allows the public to use the sites for special events. Some of the events that are coordinated at facilities include the following:

 

·      Supplying barricades and traffic control signs for community block parties

·      Community tree distribution at various facilities

·      Staging area for Dickenson Day Parade at the Manotick Yard

·      Volunteer Fireman Christmas Tree Sale site at 2941 March Road

·      Loaning picnic tables for community events.

 

Future Growth Pressures on Public Works and Services Facilities

 

As the City of Ottawa expands to accommodate growth, the Department will need to plan for additional service demands.  In order to meet the projected growth pressures, the Department is developing a long range plan to further consolidate operations and create budget details for phasing in the new or expanded facilities.  Current projections dictate that the greatest growth pressures will be felt in the Eastern and Southern sectors of the City.  For example, to accommodate the expected expansion, Surface Operations is proposing construction of new facilities in the East and South.  The plan is to use existing City owned property on Antares for the South, and in the vicinity of Trim or Innes Road for the East.

 

Construction of the new work centres will allow Surface Operations the opportunity to further consolidate facilities and material storage requirements.  A new site in the East could provide replacement space for two existing sites located at 2035 Trim Road and 1951 Cyrville Road.  The existing sites will have to remain in operation until the funding is secured to construct a replacement facility.

 

The proposed new service centre at Antares Snow Disposal site would address a service delivery issue for the development growth in the area.  Construction of a work centre at Antares will reduce servicing costs for provision of Roads and Parks maintenance programs.  The existing practice for servicing this area requires the transport of equipment from existing garages on Woodward Avenue and Moodie Drive. With the increase in service area, combined with deadhead costs to move equipment, it has reached a point where a new facility would be a cost effective method to provide the required maintenance.  The Surface Operations Branch will be including the construction of a new work garage at Antares in future facility rationalization and service provision plans.  Budget requirement for the proposed Antares Yard will be included in future plans.     

 

Growth capital requirements for Building & Yards and SDF’s growth have not been incorporated into the LRFP or the 2008-2016 Capital Budget due to funding limitations.  Future updates to these plans will identify these needs.

 

In addition to growth demands, the Leitrim Tree Nursery is on rented land from the NCC.  Land use at that location is currently under some development pressure and a portion of the site was removed from the lease agreement in 2005.  This trend may require relocation to the former Nepean Tree Nursery on Moodie Drive in the next several years. 

 

The Department will continue to explore intergration/joint use facilities to meet servicing demands so that facilities are optimized.

 

 

CONSULTATION  

 

Public consultation will be required for the potential relocation of the Heatherington Yard to Conroy Road.  The usual public consultation process will be followed for the required zoning changes and site developments.

 

The Councillor for Ward 10 has been consulted on the Heatherington Building Replacement Strategy and is supportive of the direction.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

The facility rationalization for Surface Operations Branch has sufficient authority available in capital accounts Building & Yards, Winter Storage Facility Replacement, Maple Grove Facility, SOPS Facility Consolidation and the Heatherington Facility Replacement to undertake the works identified in the 2007 Facility Consolidation and Property Rationalization Work Plan.

 

In 2006, a fire occurred at the former Kanata Works Yard facility.  The decision was made to replace the lost capacity at the adjacent 1655 Maple Grove Facility.  In the interim, temporary measures were taken under the City Manager’s delegated authority to house the Parks operation at a leased facility beginning in 2007, for a 3-year term at an estimated cost of $150,580 per annum, with 2 options to renew for a further term of one year each, plus $30,000 for annual RPAM operational expenditures and one-time capital fit-up costs estimated at $235,000.  The expanded 1655 Maple Grove Facility will cover off the west area capacity requirements for Parks, Forestry and Roads, including Fleet support requirements.

 

The additional 2008 requirements will be incorporated in the 2008 draft operating budget and the $235,000 capital fit-up cost funding will be identified in the report to be tabled by RPAM.  

 

The total construction estimate for the replacement of the 1635 Maple Grove Facility (former Kanata Works Yard), at the 1655 Maple Grove Facility is $5,050,000, of which, $1,050,000 was identified for specific works in 2007, with the remaining $4,000,000 construction budget to form part of the 2008 Capital budget, as identified in the 2008-2016 capital forecast.

 

Growth capital requirements for Buildings & Yards and SDF’s requirements will be incorporated into the 2008 and future capital budgets.

 

 

DISPOSITION

 

Upon approval of this report, the Public Works and Services Department, Surface Operations Branch, in conjunction with Real Property Asset Management Branch, will commence with implementation of the program as outlined in the report.

 

 

ATTACHMENT

 

Attachment 1 - Surface Operations Operational Areas and Facilities

 

 


Attachment 1 - Surface Operations Operational Areas and Facilities