City of Toronto Estimates $65,000 to Build Park Stairs, Man Does It Himself for $550

[Linville]

City of Toronto Estimates $65,000 to Build Park Stairs, Man Does It Himself for $550



[color=var(--body-font-color)]Andrew KugleJuly 20, 2017 11:50 am[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.65098)]
Park stairs in Toronto / Twitter screenshot[/color]
BY: 
The city of Toronto estimated that it would cost $65,000 to build stairs for a local park, but one resident took it upon himself to build the stairs—and only spent $550.
The city has now threatened to tear down the stairs, CTV News reports.

Retired mechanic Adi Astl decided to build stairs that lead to a community garden in Tom Riley Park, in Etobicoke, Ontario after several neighbors fell and hurt themselves trying to walk on the steep path. Some of Astl's neighbors chipped in for the cost of the project, which ended up being $550.

The city, meanwhile, had estimated that it would cost $65,000 to $150,000 to install the stairs in the park.

The exorbitant cost of the city's estimate had Astl believe that the city was talking about building an escalator.
"I thought they were talking about an escalator," Astl told CTV News Channel on Wednesday.


Astl hired a homeless person to help him build eight stairs in a few hours.
"To me, the safety of people is more important than money," Astl said. "So if the city is not willing to do it, I have to do it myself."

People in the community are happy with the new stairs.
"I've seen so many people fall over that rocky path that was there to begin with," Astl's wife, Gail Rutherford, said. "It's a huge improvement over what was there."

One woman from Astl's community gardening group broke her wrist when she fell trying to walk the steep path. Now, Astl says the members of the community have been thanking him for his work.

Not everyone is happy about the new addition, however. City officials have taped off the stairs, citing that they are not built to regulation standards. City inspectors said the stairs are unsafe because there is no foundation, the incline is too steep, and the railing is not safe.

One resident says she is happy with the stairs, regardless of whether they meet city standards.
"We have far too much bureaucracy," Dana Beamon said. "We don't have enough self-initiative in our city, so I'm impressed."

Mayor John Tory does not approve of private citizens taking initiative and building structures on city property if they bypass city laws. But he acknowledged that the high estimates from the city are "completely out of whack with reality."

"I think everyone will understand that it will be more than $550," Tory said. "We just can't have people decide to go out to Home Depot and build a staircase in a park because that's what they would like to have."

Tory also pointed out that the park has an accessible path and that the stairs are just a shortcut to the park.

Coun. Justin Di Ciano, who represents Astl's area, has told city officials to leave the stairs for now until they can decide on a city-approved upgrade that will not cost too much.
"I think we all need to have a bit of common sense here," Di Ciano said.

[Charon]

they are gonna tear it down. sux. This is a good deed. Not accessible for those with wheelchairs. So, Toronto can still make a staircase. But, now the public knows it does not need to cost so much, u bloodsuckers.

[Linville]

Yeah, good grief
Where has common sense gone to
Good it might be reasonable now
Cause yes it needs to be functionable for all

[Muzicatty]

So crazy. I bet he could make some adjustments so that it is wheelchair accessible and it wouldn't cost much to do. My bet is the city has already promised this job to a specific contractor. Just spending taxpayer money that could be put to better use. I hope this story wakes some people up to just how the government (any government) wastes money. I hope the 2 men are rewarded for their attempted good deed and a lot of work comes their way.

[Linville]

UPDATE;

Toronto tears down elderly man's $550 staircase, promises to build new one for $10K


[color=rgba(27, 27, 27, 0.65098)]The city's original cost estimate of up to $150,000 to build stairs to a park was 'absolutely ridiculous and out of whack with reality,' the mayor said[/color]

[color=rgba(27, 27, 27, 0.65098)][/color]


[color=var(--body-font-color)]
Emilie Must
July 21, 2017
12:32 PM EDT[/color]
Toronto city workers tore down a controversial wooden staircase on Friday morning after it sparked a debate about “ridiculous” infrastructure costs.

A 73-year-old retired mechanic built the wooden staircase that led from a public parking lot on Bloor Street into Tom Riley Park in Toronto’s west end after the city estimated that the project would cost between $65,000 and $150,000.

Adi Astl visits the park every day with his partner, Gail Rutherford. He said he was tired of seeing his neighbours injure themselves going down a steep hill into the park that hosts a community garden.

He thought the city’s estimate was “just not right,” so he decided to build the stairs himself. The were constructed in a single day, on June 22, with the help of a homeless man he hired. It all cost just $550.


But overlooked in this saga: these *gorgeous* gardening plots the stairs were meant to access. Would love to see loads more of these pic.twitter.com/2EvNPqDwY6

2:52 PM - 20 Jul 2017








Astl said the response to his makeshift staircase was overwhelmingly positive, and people started using them immediately. But someone called the city to complain and inspectors quickly arrived to tape off the “unsafe” steps. The decision divided the city — and Mayor John tory was forced to respond to the controversy.

“The original cost estimate by the City of Toronto to build stairs in Tom Riley Park was absolutely ridiculous and out of whack with reality,” the mayor said in a statement released Friday morning. The stairs were gone by 9 a.m.

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.65098)]The original cost estimate by the City of Toronto to build stairs in Tom Riley Park was absolutely ridiculous and out of whack with reality
Mayor John Tory[/color]

Tory promised to work towards finding better ways for the city to fund necessary projects within a reasonable budget, so that this never happens again. 

“I’m not happy that these kinds of outrageous project cost estimates are even possible,” he said. “I want to thank Mr. Astl for taking a stand on this issue. His homemade steps have sent a message that I know city staff have heard loud and clear.”

Etobicoke-Lakeshore Coun. Justin Di Ciano said that a new set of stairs will be constructed by the end of next week.

Di Ciano said he got emails from people across the city who supported Astl’s initiative, but “we knew we we’re going to have liability issues so we tore down the stairs — and Adi knew that.”
Astl’s staircase just didn’t live up to Toronto’s building standards.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.65098)]Coun. Justin DiCiano sits on the staircase the city has since removed, leading down to Tom Riley Park, near Islington Ave. and Bloor St. W. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network[/color]
The new stairs “will be designed to pass code and will be up to municipal standards and last probably 20 to 30 years,” Di Ciano said.

They are expected to cost $10,000 — a fraction of the original estimate.

“We need to begin delivering value to residents and we’re not doing that,” Di Ciano said. “This is a major eye-opener for city staff and for councillors.”

As the city debated whether or not the city should tear down Astl’s stairs, local resident Shannon McKarney went to investigate his handiwork and pointed out a slew of safety hazards on Twitter. She said she often visits the park and agreed with the city’s decision to remove the “death trap” stairs.

The stairs were just sitting on the hill — and not anchored to anything.



After significant rainfall on July 20, she tweeted that the stairs were “as slick as ice.” They were also crooked and the wood was not sanded.


They weren’t easy to access — people had to climb over a fence in the parking lot.


And there were some awkward gaps between the wood.


“I would definitely support having a proper staircase put in there,” McKarney said in an e-mail.