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— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary

Mr. Handsy screwed the pooch
A City of Quincy head shot

At a Quincy City Council meeting scheduled in ways quiet on the same night at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game, Mr. Handsy, (née Mr. Snippy), the head of the City of Quincy’s Public Buildings Department, announced that $6 million more was needed to complete the previously funded at $19.5 million to design and build the long-delayed and costs long-running out of control still but impending new animal shelter, a cost upwards of several to many times what a perfectly serviceable animal control facility for a small city such as Quincy.

Given the $6 million cost overrun, half again more than what Milton is paying for its impending new animal shelter, Quincy’s eventual shelter will end up costing more on a per guest basis than the concurrently began and already built new Father’s BIll’s homeless shelter.

A facility which has 32 studio apartments whereas Quincy’s animal shelter will be basically but a cathouse.

• UPDATE: The South Shore broadsheet reports a $27.86 million dollar shelter cost  to date with roughly a year more of construction yet to go and so potentially even more cost overruns yet to hit the fan.

And for a further point of comparison, the new Quincy Animal Shelter will likely end up costing local taxpayers more than will be their share of the cost of replacing Squantum Grammar School in Squantum, a roughly 360 student school.

Enough already
A file photo

The reason for $6 million more in funding needed to complete the animal shelter?

Mandatory asbestos contamination clean-up needs at the construction site that were missed during project planning and soil testing at a site that is a former dumpsite with known asbestos problems.

Mr. Handsy noted that one testing point missed the contamination as opposed to claiming that the contamination was, well, hidden away.

Handsy did not, however, admit to the fact that construction site was a former dump site and thus the site should have been subjected to more robust soil testing.

A Friend In Need …
A Cassius Marcellus Coolidge image

Neither did Handsy cast aspersions, much less any culpability, upon the soil testing vendor.

No idea at this point, however, if the vendor was a significant Koch campaign fund contributor.

In any event, per the Quarry’s construction advisor, $6 million in an asbestos-caused cost overrun is indicative of a serious problem for such a construction project even if the cost overrun includes project delay costs caused by the asbestos contamination above and beyond asbestos remediation expenses.

Further troubling, the $6 million works out to a 40% project cost overrun on the originally promised to be no more $15 million construction cost.

(“Where’s Fluffy?”)
Quincy Quarry News’ unleashed newshound

In other words, yet another strictly City of Quincy managed construction project running in the seven figure or higher range is running (well,ed.) in excess of what was originally projected on a dollar basis as well as similarly ugly on parentage basis as well as also running years behind scheduled.

Also of concern, the new Animal Shelter will be located right next to the only (official, ed.) dog park in Quincy and which will be the only know instance when a dog pound as well as Quincy Police Department kennel and training center will be oh so obviously problematically placed right next to a dog park.

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