The Regional Municipality of Halton

Transcription

1 Asset Management Services Facilities Projects 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville Ontario Canada, L6M 3L1 To Whom It May Concern: Date: September 20, 2011 Re: VanMar Constructors Inc. VanMar Constructors Inc. was awarded the Design-Build contract through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process in May The 80 Unit Affordable Housing Project, to be constructed in Milton Ontario; was immediately challenged with the pressures of an extraordinarily tight schedule with only 3.5 months to complete the design and obtain all necessary approvals; preceding a September 2010 construction start date. The project is scheduled for completion in November 2011 and is currently on target to reach this milestone. Art Van Maren aggressively led a well organized intense design process and ensured that the Owner s best interests were at the forefront and the focus of the design team. Art continued these efforts to lead and manage the design-build team aiming to achieve success at the highest regard. I am confident that Art prides himself in being enthusiastically involved on each and every project. I believe that VanMar has built the foundation of their company on pride and passion for the industry. These are traits of a company which is destined for continued success. Their poise, leadership and quality service resonates through each and every member of their team from head office to on-site staff. I have experienced nothing but cooperation, good mannerisms and professionalism from Art and his staff and feel that their overall performance to date models excellence. I would not hesitate to recommend VanMar Constructors Inc. for similar projects and would be pleased to have the opportunity to work with VanMar again in the future. If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned. Regards, Andrew Mills, BAT Arch. FMP PMP Project Manager Asset Management Services - Facilities Projects The Regional Municipality of Halton HEAD OFFICE 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 Tel: Toll free: TTY:

2

3

4 Coast Mental Health 293 E. 11 th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V5T 2C June 23, 2011 Jeff Marin BA, AScT Project Director, Van Mar Constructors Dear Jeff: Re: 337 West Pender Pacific Coast Apartments Coast Mental Health is very pleased to write this letter of reference in support of Van Mar Constructors and the full scope of work the provided to help us get the 96 unit supported apartment building at 337 West Pender opened on May 2 nd, one time, under budget, and with exceptional workmanship. This building had many challenges to overcome: 9 story concrete building on a constrained site Piloting a small suite design that had 46 units built at 225 sq. ft. Dense inner-city site Olympics Challenging neighbour LEEDS Gold Both as CM and then as the contractors, Van Mar provided exceptional value, helping us to drive through the design complexities, work within the constraints of the site and neighbourhood, build a unbelievably quick construction momentum that carried over to excellent building at the end. Van Mar ran a very tight ship, very little wasted effort throughout the process and handled all obstacles with ease. We certainly look forward to our next project with them. I d be pleased to elaborate at your pleasure. Best regards, Coast Mental Health Darrell J. Burnham, M.B.A. Executive Director.

5

6

7

8 Construction Solutions ph: e: JTW Consulting 204 Braemar E V7N 1R1 North Vancouver May 27 th 2010 To Whom It May Concern: Vanmar Contractors Inc was the Construction Manager as Agent on a $5.5m complicated and sensitive restoration and refurbishment of the 98 unit St Helens Hotel located in Vancouver. The St Helens is an older heritage type building that is home to a challenged and at risk of homelessness tenant group. The St Helens was in a state of dilapidation and required extensive upgrading to bring the building back up to functional and maintainable standards. The renovation was further complicated by the fact that remediation work had to be conducted while the building was still partially occupied by tenants. As Agent of the Client (BC Housing), Vanmar took on the responsibility to procure, administer and deliver the project. Vanmar excelled at working collaboratively with the consultant, construction and client team. This resulted in a quality project that was delivered significantly under budget and months ahead of Contract schedule. In my capacity as former BC Housing s Director of Construction Innovation, I also worked with Vanmar on new wood frame and concrete social housing projects and found the Company to be extremely knowledgeable and proficient in matters such as construction technology, contract administration and project management. Also, having worked directly with a number of Vanmar s project staff I found them to be courteous, professional and service orientated. Regards James Weldon JTW Consulting ph: e: [email protected]

9 May 16, 2011 To whom it may concern: RE: Reference letter for VanMar Constructors VanMar Constructors is currently working on construction of the Wayne and William White Engineering Design Centre at UBC. This project is a 3 storey architectural concrete building that incorporates numerous specialized design features including an angled post and beam glazed atrium structure that abuts the building. VanMar joined the design team during the pre-construction phase and worked with the architect and consultants to redesign the project to cut costs. By providing numerous design options and budget prices, the original estimated cost was cut in half to meet the client s construction budget while maintaining the design look and intent of the building to the end satisfaction of all parties. Now nearing completion, this project will finish ahead of schedule and on budget. VanMar has conducted themselves in a professional and organized manner and I have been very pleased with their performance both in the field and from the office and would not hesitate to work with them again the future. I would recommend VanMar to anyone looking for preconstruction and construction management services. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Yours Truly, UBC PROPERTIES TRUST 555 Great Northern Way Suite 101 Vancouver, BC V5T 1E2 David English Development Manager t f [email protected]

10

11

12

13

14 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, B.C. V6H 3R9 T: F: To Whom it may concern, I am writing to recommend Van Mar Constructors for the excellent work they did for us in constructing our 144 unit seniors congregate care residence in New Westminster. As our general contractor they brought our project in on time and, most importantly, slightly under budget. This was not an easy thing to do as we were building at a time when construction prices were rising by as much as 15% a year. Good subcontractors were not easy to find but Van Mar s good relationships allowed us to get some of the best available. In addition the logistics of the site itself were not easy. We had a large Heritage designated building that needed renovation to a very high standard while maintaining an operational Church inside it and a new 104,000 square foot,4 storey building being built around the rear of it. The site was tight and due to good planning we ran into very few problems and the construction process went very smoothly. Throughout the project their advice and suggestions were invaluable and they worked very well with all our team members, creating a very successful community in Thornebridge Gardens. I would have no reservations in using them again, from top to bottom they were a great organization to work with. Sincerely, Scott Thorburn Vice-President, Canbrit Developments Ltd.

15

16 th Street. Langley, BC V3A 5M9 Phone: Fax: Website: Mission: To improve and enhance quality of life of the elderly and people with disabilities February 5 th, 2010 To Whom it May Concern: Re: Vanmar Constructors Inc. Recommendation Our organization has engaged the services of Vanmar Constructors for a major construction and renovations project. Langley Care Society operates a 129 bed accredited residential care facility, Langley Lodge. In August 2008 the society launched a $28 million facility expansion project to improve quality of care and maintain regulatory standards. The first phase, construction of a new 6 storey, 42,000 square foot tower was completed on time and under budget in December During construction our experience with Vanmar personnel and their subcontractors was very positive. They have been very professional in all aspects of project coordination and management. They have fully managed their construction responsibilities, while being considerate of our obligations to the residents in our care. There has been full cooperation regarding our requirements to minimize disruption to our daily operations. Communication with all of Vanmar s personnel has been excellent and has enabled the work to be scheduled around our routines as much as possible. Our Phase II is now underway; a 16 month renovations project of our existing 59,700 square foot facility. The renovation is a complex, phased project involving partial occupancy and ongoing residential care services while renovations are conducted on a floor by floor basis. Our stakeholders, the residents, their family members and our 150 employees have found the experience thus far to be smoother than anticipated. Consequently, we have had very few complaints to date while construction has been going on inside and outside of our facility. I therefore am pleased to recommend Vanmar Constructors to other firms and organizations that require commercial construction and/or renovations services, particularly in the residential care and assisted living sector. Yours truly, Debra Hauptman, MBA Executive Director

17

18

19 -.~~ BROOKSIDE LODGE Fraser llighway Surrey, B.C. June 8, 2009 VanMar Constructors Inc A Street Langley, B. C. VIM 384 Attention: Jeff M~ Project Manager Dear Mr. J. Marin Re: Reference letter on behalf ofvanmar Constructors Inc. Baltic Properties Group has been in the business of building and operating care facilities in the province of British Columbia for the past nine years. We have had a number of contractors carry out construction on our behalf with many interesting and varying outcomes that range from quality of workmanship, over runs and time delays. It has been with pleasure to work with such a professional well organized contractor that has the expertise in constjucting care facilities and with this has saved money. time and with their anticipation of not only potential problems but looking at the future maintenance issue that result in higher operating costs. VanMar Constructors Inc. has provided The Baltic Properties Group a quality building (Brookside Lodge) that reflects excellent workmanship and we would consider them as our contractor of choice for a design built facility. Should any of your potential customers like to contactus personally we would with pieasurelike to reflect our appreciation of your professionalism. Yours trulyt Baltic Properties Group Brookside Lodge, Su"q, BC The CasC/ldeJ, Chilliwad BC lake Country Lot/ge, w~ C"""hy BC Ma,iposil GlIrdms, Osoyoos BC Rldgev/ew Lodge, KfIIffloops BC

20

21

22

23 October 21, 2008 To Whom It May Concern: VanMar Constructors Inc. has completed a number of projects for Baptist Housing Ministries, including: Shannon Oaks West (42 suite Independent Living with Supportive Services project) Clarendon Court (59 suite BC Housing funded Assisted Living project) Shannon Oaks, Oak Bay (a 102 suite Independent Living with Supportive Services project) Marrion Village Building #8, Oak Bay (a 7 storey 56 suite Assisted Living facility) In each of these cases, VanMar Constructors was retained on a Construction Management at risk basis at the commencement of project design. VanMar has played an active role in the design development process of these projects, by attending design coordination meetings, providing design and specification reviews on a continual basis and ensuring the final design was functional, cost effective and constructible. The projects were completed on schedule and within budget which was a commendable achievement considering the busy construction market. The work has been of good quality and the completed projects were delivered to the satisfaction of the Baptist Housing Ministries and the building occupants. Post occupancy, VanMar Constructors has addressed building warranty items in a timely and satisfactory manner. Baptist Housing Ministries looks forward to continuing our relationship with VanMar Constructors and would not hesitate to recommend them for other projects of a similar nature. Please feel free to call me for more information ( ext.111). Yours truly, BAPTIST HOUSING MINISTRIES SOCIETY Per: Dayle Krahn Chief Property and Development Officer Baptist Housing Ministries

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35