Departure Bay ferry terminal - photos & discussion

[Ferryman]

Like the title says, work has clearly began. Barges have been moved into berth 2, and are preparing to demolish it, I'm assuming. This is the upgrade fro the Super C's. Could this be a transformation into a similar dock that was just built at Swartz Bay?

[Curtis]

Here they go. Modifying the docks begin

[Political Incorrectness]

It is going to probably be the same as HSB berths or berth 1 at swartz bay, but not berth 2. There was nothing mentioned about a floating design.

[Low Light Mike]

BC Ferries were represented at Nanaimo City Council meeting on Dec.18th, re a presentation to council re the Dep Bay terminal project.

Nanaimo News bulletin also did a story.

Nothing new, that I could see. Most of the Nanaimo focus was on the fact that the renovated terminal would be able to hold 2 full loads of outgoing ticketed traffic. Another item mentioned was the Brechin RD. intersection change....again it's old news.

There were some citizen representatives from Departure Bay and/or Brechin Hill neighbourhood associations, re their lobbying against further growth. I think the resident consensus that was presented was that they don't want to see late-night sailings, or increased sailings to/from Departure Bay.

When it comes to Nanaimo city issues re Departure Bay terminal, there is always reference made to the original intent of Duke Point Terminal, and the supposed former mandate to reduce traffic that is using Departure Bay.

[Low Light Mike]

from Nanaimo News Bulletin, re lack of tendering process for Departure Bay construction work.

==================

www.nanaimobulletin.com:80/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=51&cat=23&id=1069926&more=0

Ferries skips open tenderingBy Darrell Bellart
The News Bulletin
Sep 22 2007


B.C. Ferries skipped open bidding to handpick contractors to rebuild the Departure Bay ferry terminal and a Nanaimo contractor says it shortchanges B.C. taxpayers.

Rocky Ostaffy, president of Knappett Construction in Nanaimo, said B.C. Ferries ignored his several requests earlier this summer to bid on a portion of the $50-million construction project.

He pushed and finally a B.C. Ferries engineer told him the process was closed – that submissions would be accepted from contractors by invitation only.

He got the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C. involved, and the ICBA wrote B.C. Ferries President David Hahn.

Hahn said Ferries chose to “forego an advertised bid process” due to the current climate in the B.C. construction industry.

Instead, B.C. Ferries chose to go with “selected contractors through an ‘expression of interest’ and short-list bid process,” Hahn wrote.

Ostaffy said it affects not only his company and his employees.

“I don’t think the public has been served well by this process,” Ostaffy said.

B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said as a private corporation, B.C. Ferries has the right to hand pick contractors.

Ostaffy disagrees.

“I know what a private corporation is – I own one,” Ostaffy said.

“Someone show me where steps were taken for the private ownership of B.C. Ferries. It gives them some latitude to be secretive.”

Nanaimo MLA Leonard Krog said skipping public tendering removes transparency for a publicly owned company.

“It would be shocking to think that’s the kind of argument coming from B.C. Ferries: ‘We’re a private cooperation, we can do what we want,’” Krog said. “Tendering is basic to the construction industry and it’s troubling for taxpayers because at the end of the day, we are still the owners.”

Nanaimo-Parksville MLA Ron Cantelon is a member of the government committee overseeing Crown corporations. He said when he heard about it, he contacted B.C. Ferries.

“I don’t think they’ve treated people very fairly in Nanaimo,” Cantelon said.

Cantelon spoke to Nanaimo businessman Tom Harris, who is a B.C. Ferries board member, who arranged a meeting with Ferries officials to address the problem.

“What he did immediately was arrange a meeting with people who handle the building and they arranged a meeting at my office. But they were unable to persuade them to re-open the tender, which I think they could have done, because the work doesn’t go on until next spring,” Cantelon said.

“They report to the committee I sit on – the Crown corporations committee – and I advised them I will be bringing this matter forward when we meet... One of their goals in their business plan is to be fair and equitable and to get the best value for the shareholder, and I don’t believe this is getting the best value for the shareholder.

“I’m going to hold them to it.”

It won’t help this situation, but Cantelon said it would affect B.C. Ferries’ contracting policy in future.
============================

[Scott (Former Account)]

Why in the world is Knappett complaining..

Knappett received the contract to construct the new foot passenger building at Departure Bay, and have been doing so over the last few months.

This article makes it sound like they got nothing...

How greedy...

[Hardy]

scott said:

Why in the world is Knappett complaining..

Knappett received the contract to construct the new foot passenger building at Departure Bay, and have been doing so over the last few months.

This article makes it sound like they got nothing...

How greedy...

This again emphasizes skewed reporting. Presenting 1/2 a story without all the facts present.

I find it critical to have all the background information, especially on a whistle-blower kind of story like the one in question. As you correctly state, it seems like sour grapes -- a spoiled kid who got a used Tonka truck instead of a shiny new one!

Oh well, at least the quality of reporting in Nanaimo is similar to that of Vancouver .....

[Northern Exploration]

flugelhorn said:

from Nanaimo News Bulletin, re lack of tendering process for Departure Bay construction work.

==================


Instead, B.C. Ferries chose to go with “selected contractors through an ‘expression of interest’ and short-list bid process,” Hahn wrote.


============================

What detail is missing from the article is whether BC Ferries asked a number of construction firms to submit a bid or a single company. It is entirely acceptable for you to ask 2,3 or 10 businesses if they are interested to submit a bid for a job and not to advertise to everyone. You may have very good reasons for doing so. One of which is that you don't have to wade through submissions from companies you don't really want to hire anyways. Submitting bids is timeconsuming and expensive. If I don't have a chance of getting a contract, I don't want to spend days labouring over something that is likely not to successful.

The construction company maybe a stellar one and have good reason to be miffed. Maybe BC Ferries only went to one contractor. But Hahn said a short list - which means a number of them.

However, if BC Ferries is already working with the company in question, perhaps they have a reason to not include them in the process. Just because BC Ferries doesn't wish to say something publically doesn't mean there is something fishy or unfair. Maybe BC Ferries doesn't want to tread into territory that could result in them being sued. All I know is that if a company I do work with did the same thing to me (make accusations and a PR headache for me) would I be more prone or less prone to work with them in the future? Hmmmm.

We just don't know all the facts but neither did the reporter. Either they didn't do their homework, no one would talk so the reporter couldn't report both sides, or they left the facts out of the article for whatever reason. However controversy sells papers and drives the media. The hint of scandal is tantilizing but not necessarily fair.

[kylefossett]

If BC Ferries was already working with the company and they got this job then we would be hearing complaining from another company that they don't think it is fair. Doesn't matter how you go about this process somebody is going to be miffed when all is said and done

[Low Light Mike]

I was an "arrival foot passenger" at Departure Bay last night, and the traffic-jam in the passenger pickup area was very bad.

By the time we started to depart the area (in my wife's car), the Oak Bay had already departed on her next sailing. I estimate that our car was jammed for approx 40 minutes in the little pickup area.

Next time I need a pickup at that terminal (which is next Friday), I'm planning to meet my wife somewhere down on Stewart Ave. It's worth the effort to walk a few blocks to get away from the terminal, to find a good pickup/drop-off point.

Crazy. (this is because more short-term parking was just eliminated for the construction project). Awesome

[kylefossett]

flugelhorn said:

I was an "arrival foot passenger" at Departure Bay last night, and the traffic-jam in the passenger pickup area was very bad.

By the time we started to depart the area (in my wife's car), the Oak Bay had already departed on her next sailing. I estimate that our car was jammed for approx 40 minutes in the little pickup area.

Next time I need a pickup at that terminal (which is next Friday), I'm planning to meet my wife somewhere down on Stewart Ave. It's worth the effort to walk a few blocks to get away from the terminal, to find a good pickup/drop-off point.

Crazy. (this is because more short-term parking was just eliminated for the construction project). Awesome

looks like there will be some short term pain for long term gain at departure bay combined with a long weekend crowd makes it real fun

[Scott]

Must have just happened in the last week. I was there last Saturday and it was normal once I was "outside". Not that normal is all that great in the first place!

[DENelson83]

I assume Berth 2 at Departure Bay has finished being retrofitted. Any good shots of it now?

[Scott (Former Account)]

denelson83 said:

I assume Berth 2 at Departure Bay has finished being retrofitted. Any good shots of it now?

[Retrovision]

flugelhorn said:

I was an "arrival foot passenger" at Departure Bay last night, and the traffic-jam in the passenger pickup area was very bad.

By the time we started to depart the area (in my wife's car), the Oak Bay had already departed on her next sailing. I estimate that our car was jammed for approx 40 minutes in the little pickup area.

Next time I need a pickup at that terminal (which is next Friday), I'm planning to meet my wife somewhere down on Stewart Ave. It's worth the effort to walk a few blocks to get away from the terminal, to find a good pickup/drop-off point.

Crazy. (this is because more short-term parking was just eliminated for the construction project). Awesome

I wonder how BC Transit is faring with this jam as their #2 route travels, or atleast used to, both north and southbound via the foot passenger arrivals and departures building at Departure Bay, the only transit service to the terminal.

[Ferryman]

I'm wondering now if Berth 2 at Departure Bay is now going to be given back its "extra berth" status. Last night I was on the Queen of Oak Bays 7:00pm sailing, and we arrived in Berth 3. This suprised me, as I thought for sure that Berth 2 was going to be the berth that all of the vessels would use now. If this is the case, why would BC Ferries do a major multi million dollar upgrade to a berth that will hold Ferries when they're not in service. Similar situation at Swartz Bay, with Berth 2 there as well.

[Low Light Mike]

re Transit impacted by Dep Bay traffic jams:

I think that Transit will be slowed-down by the traffic jams at the Departure Bay pickup area. There's no "bus only" lane, and the taxi-cabs were impacted too.....we everyone was in (or off) the same boat (ferry pun intended).

I looked at the Dep Bay terminal on Google-Earth yesterday, and it really is quite a bottle-neck, by the footie-area. The industrial area just east of the terminal really is "in the way".

[Scott]

When I get picked up on time at Departure Bay under normal conditions, there is usually a small traffic jam waiting to get out of the terminal. It usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes. I think the bus schedule is set so the bus arrives a few minutes after the pick-up traffic generally clears. But when it's as bad as Flugel says it is.. then, yeah, the buses will be messed up too.

[Nick]

ferryman said:

I'm wondering now if Berth 2 at Departure Bay is now going to be given back its "extra berth" status. Last night I was on the Queen of Oak Bays 7:00pm sailing, and we arrived in Berth 3. This suprised me, as I thought for sure that Berth 2 was going to be the berth that all of the vessels would use now. If this is the case, why would BC Ferries do a major multi million dollar upgrade to a berth that will hold Ferries when they're not in service. Similar situation at Swartz Bay, with Berth 2 there as well.

I don't know about dep. bay, but I know that at swartz berth 2 was upgraded specifically for the SuperCs, as they will not fit in the same berths as the Vs/Spirits. The Spirits will continue to use Berth 1 and will probably do so until they are scrapped. It is probably the same thing at dep. bay, as the super-Cs are way wider than the Cs are.

[Mike C]

I've learned that it's generally OK so long as everyone keeps moving. If someone decides it's a good idea to park there, and then that individual(s) go for an 8 hour ferry trip, then it can get jammed up. Sometimes it's just better to park, and go inside and get the person you're looking for, rather than idling in line for the pickup/drop off lineup.

Transit probably leaves late anyway, knowing BC Transit - that is, if they're anything like Translink

[Coastal Canuck]

coxnnick said:

ferryman said:

I'm wondering now if Berth 2 at Departure Bay is now going to be given back its "extra berth" status. Last night I was on the Queen of Oak Bays 7:00pm sailing, and we arrived in Berth 3. This suprised me, as I thought for sure that Berth 2 was going to be the berth that all of the vessels would use now. If this is the case, why would BC Ferries do a major multi million dollar upgrade to a berth that will hold Ferries when they're not in service. Similar situation at Swartz Bay, with Berth 2 there as well.

I don't know about dep. bay, but I know that at swartz berth 2 was upgraded specifically for the SuperCs, as they will not fit in the same berths as the Vs/Spirits. The Spirits will continue to use Berth 1 and will probably do so until they are scrapped. It is probably the same thing at dep. bay, as the super-Cs are way wider than the Cs are.

well what will the Super C's use at Tsawwassen then?

[Mirrlees]

They may do something with Berth 3 as the CI will be calling in there as well. I think I remember Hahn saying that minimal dock modifications would need to be made; in his ramblings at the AGM.

[Nick]

I don't know what the berth situation at Tsawwassen is as far as compatibility for the Super-Cs, all I know is that Berth 2 at Swartz was done mostly for berth compatibility.

[Ferryman]

Here is a progress update of Departure Bay construction, seen from the deck of the Queen of Esquimalt this afternoon. You can see the foundation of the new Foot Passenger building taking shape behind the original building.



Also, if you have good eyes(it was hard to get a good shot with dozens of people surrounding the area), here's a satellite photo posted on the wall of the Bistro on the Bay cafe. I can remember 5 years ago, with a similar photo like this of Horseshoe Bay at this spot, for the terminal expansions there as well.

[kylefossett]

damn that is a good satellite picture. aerial shot more like it. sorry just had to make a snide remark like some other people do on this forum.