DCC Program Leader Tim Summers has worked on one project with a $270 million budget and on many others with a fraction of that cost (and complexity).
But he’s learned that one important principle applies to all of them.
“There’s always a lot of relationship-building involved,” he says. “That’s the key to success.”
A small project nearing completion at CFB Petawawa confirmed this once again. Over eight months, a contractor has been repairing the structure around and replacing the doors of an unusable elevator. The elevator serves a two-storey building with classrooms and, on the second floor, a courtroom.
As is typical of renovations, the contractor encountered unexpected problems inside the walls and with the foundation. Solving these challenges took more time, interactions and flexibility than planned on the part of project leaders—at DCC and with the Client-Partners, contractor and design consultant.
“Keeping laser-focused on solutions kept the project moving,” says Tim. When conflicting schedules and competing priorities challenged project partners, well-honed people skills carried the day.
“DCC has a very good track record of hiring for these skills,” he adds.
The project (initially led by DCC’s Josh Fergusson, Coordinator, Construction Services) is one example of how DCC is supporting DND as it increasingly focuses on improving accessibility in the built environments, both at the design stage and by retrofitting buildings on Canada’s military Bases and Wings.
Tim has his own reminder that accessibility matters, and that there is work yet to do. He frequently sees a veteran using a scooter to get around the community of Petawawa.
“I often ask myself, ‘How would they access this or that?’”