Belleville Councillor Mitch Panciuk, May 24, 2016. (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
A bid to move plans another step forward for a new police station, without going through the tendering process, hit the wall at Belleville city council Tuesday night.
City council had before it a staff report on the next step in the retrofit of the Veridian building at the corner of Sidney and College streets.
It asked council to waive the tender process approving Shoalts and Zaback Architects to do the design drawings at a cost of one million dollars.
Councillor Mitch Panciuk objected, saying it didn’t make sense to try to save three months time this way.
Councillor Paul Carr argued council “owed it to the taxpayers to go out to the market.”
Mayor Taso Christopher said the firm had scored high on the preliminary design and he said “staff was under pressure from council ” to move the project along.
The motion was lost on a recorded vote of 6-to-3 with only Mayor Christopher, and Councillors Graham and Thompson voting for the waiver.
The work will now go out to tender.
