The Victoria mayor and city council should read a book written by real estate developer Donald Trump before they proceed with any more costly projects.
The book is called The Art of the Deal.
Mr. Trump and his organization are known for building projects on budget and on time. He advises against fast tracking projects. Fast tracking is when you start a project without finished blueprints. Every time you submit a change order the contractors charge you more money. This is what the city did with the Johnson Street Bridge money pit. The past government kept submitting change orders and each time the contractors charged the city for the changes.
For future projects like the Bay Street Bridge, Crystal Pool and the billion-dollar sewer project, have the blueprints drawn up in minute detail. Invite the contractors to bid on the job and do not submit change orders then the contractors have no legal reason to change the price.
Many contractors call Mr. Trump cheap because he argues with them about price. His reply is the day he doesn’t care about $5,000 is the day he gets out of business.
He or his associates inspect the site every day to ensure high quality construction of the project.
J. Holmes, Victoria