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DUMBARTON NOTEBOOK by BILL HEANEY
It is so disappointing. West Dunbartonshire Council announced today that the redevelopment of the Artizan Centre in Dumbarton town centre has moved to the next stage with work “undergoing” to improve the appearance of the retail units.
The Council doesn’t answer questions from me, as regular readers well know, but I hadn’t got past reading the first paragraph of this press release when I had one they could yet again refuse to talk to me about, which was this:
What does the word ‘undergoing’ actually mean? I think most of the members of the public at whom this announcement is aimed will have an idea what it’s meant to mean.
But this is what it actually means according to my dictionary: An experience of being subjected to something, typically unpleasant or arduous. For example “he underwent a life-saving brain operation”
Maybe the Council spin doctors have hit the nail on the head? Especially since reading and writing about Dumbarton Town Centre is something most of us consider arduous and unpleasant — just like the town centre itself?
But shouldn’t we really expect something better than this when it comes to trying to read one of their press releases, especially since the communications department that refuses to communicate costs the council tax paying public in West Dunbartonshire about £500,000 a year?
The next paragraph states: “The canopies which are currently in place above the shops will be removed and replaced with new, upgraded shelters.”
Hell knows what they mean by that.
And next: “Cladding will also be updated and replacement shopfronts with a uniform design will be installed and the facades will be cleaned and repainted.”
Don’t tell me that what was trailed as a £20 million refurb after Boris Johnston no less came up with the money is going to be no more than a cheap paint job?
The Council have admitted the money came from Westminster, but they haven’t even mentioned Boris, which is a PR device to divert attention from the actuality which in this case is that the Tories came up with the cash.
Here’s what they say about that: “The project is part of investment provided through the UK Government for three key projects, including the redevelopment of Glencairn House and the Connecting Dumbarton project.”
The Council goes on to claim that local businesses and residents have been kept informed of developments and the schedule of works.
“The Council will continue to engage with them as the project develops,” the press release proclaims.
Really, I believed they were covering up everything that has gone wrong with the project so far, such as discovering obstacles during the demolition process they didn’t even know were there.
That’s what the SNP government did with their evidence for the Salmond inquiry and it’s what Rachel Reeves has just done with the UK Budget.
It is now generally accepted that politicians seldom tell the truth about anything.
Councillor David McBride, the person with the ridiculous title of Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, claimed: “This is an ambitious project to improve the look and the feel at the heart of Dumbarton.
“The demolition work which has already been undertaken at the Artizan Centre has made a visible difference to Dumbarton town centre. It has paved the way for these improvement works and I look forward to seeing the area transform as they take place.”
Look at the photograph which accompanied this press release. I can’t see much difference from what was there before, a neglected ghost town no one wishes to visit unless they absolutely have to.
The press release goes on to quote the Vice Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, Councillor Lawrence O’Neill.
He is said to have commented: “This is an important step in the regeneration of Dumbarton, and there is no doubt that this work will have a noticeable and positive impact on the town centre.”
No doubt? I would say he is chancing his arm there.
Labour, locally and nationally, is falling apart — Cllrs McBride, O’Neill and Rooney’s pledges about honesty, truth and transparency are not being fulfilled.
Indeed, doubts amongst Dumbartonians have already been expressed that this will be the case and they are already using the Council’s own complaints page to tell the world that the result of what the Council are doing is the equivalent of putting lipstick on a corpse.
Cllr O’Neill believes: “The overall project will transform this central area and increase footfall to the businesses in the Artizan and town centre as a whole.”
If that happens then I promise I will eat my underpants.
Clark Contracts, the successful bidder following a tendering process, is the main contractor taking forward the project on behalf of the Council.
One question which the Council spin doctors won’t answer is this: “How much is all this going to cost, and will it be done on time and within the budget allocated for it?”
And will Councillors McBride and O’Neill and their seldom seen about the place Labour administration leader Councillor Martin Rooney come out from under the bed for the opening?
Only Cllr O’Neill turned up for the picture which accompanied this press release.
There were no names given for a caption to tell to who is in it, but that’s just the spin doctors playing silly games when they are supposed to be engaged in serious business.
Top of page pictures: If you know the history: If Dumbarton is to get a new town centre then it’s been a long time coming.
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The hapless citizens don’t know the half of it.
The forecast four months demolition of a portion of the Artizan has turned into over two years with no end in sight whilst the area remains an ugly cordoned off demolition site with a swathe of the car park still barriered off.
A with the initial demolition that was supposed to cost some £300k the demolition is anecdotally reported to have cost something approaching £25m has now eaten up an anecdotally.
It’s a lot of money for a gap site — with no end in sight. And the site is still not cleared as the broken remaining rump of a now demolished building still remains. But don’t ask it’s all part of the vision for the future and the cost, well don’t ask.
And then across the way there is the similar fiasco of the Glencairn House refurbishment into a library.
Running at least six months over the estimated time it would take the word is that the cost has risen from £7m to £12m.
But, of course, you will get no public comment or confirmation as to what he cost is .and why it has risen. Or why the project is running so late.
But here’s a thought for the hapless citizenry. Take the cost of the new Glencairn House museum and porcelain clad outbuilding and divide it by the footprint area of the new building – and what does that show as a building cost per square metre.
£10,000, or £20,000; or more per square metre?
Well the word is that it could be around £23,000 to £26,000 per square metre.
Its wild, Guggenheim prices eat your heart out. But maybe someone in authority could say. Folks would be interested to know.
And last but not least for anyone still awake, but does anyone know how much the Milton Relief Road and business service park road project is costing. Again very much a secret. but could their be any truth that a project originally planned at around £18 million is now costing around two and a half times that with the cost still rising.
That’s another good question. What was the works let at? What has the cost been to date? What is the final cost on completion forecast to be?
Maybe someone could clarify that too as I’m sure folks in these hard pressed times would be comforted to know.
You would think some of our councillors would ask these questions since the spin doctors refuse to speak to me. Or maybe the MP or MSP? The MP should have the answers or have had at least an inkling that this whole thing was going belly up since he was the Provost before heading off like Dick Whittington to Westminster. I read in the weekend papers that Rachel Reeves could be on her way out for misleading parliament about the the size of the deficit she had been left with by the previous government. I wonder if our local politicians should be following her down the road to shame since I am certain they mislead the population here about the size of the deficit they were left with here when they took over the administration of West Dunbartonshire Council. They inflated that in order to get people to accept all those cuts they imposed and didn’t need to impose (no grass cutting and so on) and shutting down libraries. But they have no shame. They destroyed Balloch Library for example when they didn’t have to. What an arrogant, hubristic shower of no users that lot are.