Date:December03, 2009
Title: U.S. Embassy fix would cost $900,000 - Replacing concrete barriers would involve major road work, committee told
Source: By Neco Cockburn, The Ottawa Citizen
City and Country: Ottawa, Canada
OTTAWA — Replacing concrete barriers outside the U.S. Embassy in downtown Ottawa with more eye-pleasing bollards would cost about $900,000, according to preliminary estimates.
However, the potential cost could be higher, since putting the bollards into the ground would require changes to underground infrastructure on Sussex Drive, members of the transportation committee were told.
The water main alignment would need to be shifted east, which would have further impacts on storm sewers and possibly a gas main. A hydro duct and associated manholes would also have to be relocated, according to a memo from John Moser, the city’s general manager of planning and growth management.
The transportation committee is recommending to council that city staff be directed to confirm specifics of what’s needed to replace the barriers with bollards.
It’s also recommending that staff determine the cost of the additional work, along with potential funding sources or cost-sharing arrangements.
Sussex will be rebuilt between George Street and St. Patrick Street over the next year. Attempts are being made to find ways to reduce the impact of the barriers, which were installed after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Staff told the committee that RCMP and embassy officials have been “amenable” to replacing the concrete barriers, which also remove two lanes of downtown traffic, one on Sussex and one on Mackenzie Avenue.
The committee heard, however, that U.S. Embassy officials still require the protected perimeter, and the decision on securing the embassy is up to the RCMP and the federal government.
The committee passed a motion that, if approved by council, would direct city officials to continue talks on the issue “with the objective of re-establishing some traffic on the west lane” of Sussex.
Councillor Rainer Bloess dissented when the motion was carried. He said the city should push to “eliminate the security barricades” on Sussex and Mackenzie.
“The more we talk about this, the crazier this thing gets,” he said. Bloess said there has been an overreaction after the 9/11 attacks, and the embassy was built to meet possible security concerns “to the ultimate degree.”
Councillor Georges Bédard, who has been pushing for progress on the issue, said the city could “do the bravado thing” and insist that the barriers be removed, but it could still be overruled in the end.
“What we need to do is be willing to compromise,” said Bédard, whose Rideau-Vanier ward includes the embassy. He said staff should continue discussions with the other parties and look into the full cost of replacing the concrete barriers.
“If it is too much (money), obviously, we’ll have to reconsider our position,” Bédard said.
Councillor Jacques Legendre said the barricaded lane on Sussex could at least be opened to bicycle traffic if bollards are installed.
He said he has been persuaded by earlier arguments that the barriers along the embassy’s perimeter protect surrounding buildings from the “magnet” for potential attempted attacks. By making it evident that such an attempt would not work, “the magnet is reduced,” Legendre said.
Councillor Steve Desroches said the city has traditionally worked co-operatively with the RCMP and other levels of government. He said he put weight into advice from RCMP and U.S. Embassy security officials.
“I do not want this site to be an easy target, because if there is an incident it affects not only the embassy personnel, but the safety of the residents of the City of Ottawa,” Desroches said.
Councillor Clive Doucet called it a sad day “when we have to turn an embassy into a fortress,” but he said the city has responsibilities as a host and Canada would expect the same treatment if it requested protection for its embassies.
Councillor Marianne Wilkinson said she would like to see the closed lane on Sussex opened to traffic, and is concerned about the potential cost of the work that would be required to install bollards.
The National Capital Commission is the city’s partner on the Sussex reconstruction project. The NCC estimates in its documents that the project will cost $7.7 million. The NCC’s share is $3 million, including $1.2 million for “aesthetic treatment” of the security aspects along the perimeter of the embassy.
The reconstruction includes new water mains, sewers, relocated utilities, pavement, trees, signals and streetlights.
The contract for the project is complete and work is scheduled to begin “imminently,” according to Moser’s memo
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