Grand Opening – June 18th 2017!

Gurudwara Building Update – June 11th 2017

Gurudwara Building Update – May 15th 2017

Gurudwara Building Update – Feb 2017

We are happy to provide some updated pictures of the Construction process.

 

Gurudwara Building Update – Aug 10th

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Sadh Sangat Ji,

 

Since we announced the new GC for finishing our gurdwara we have had lots of positive feedback.  Thank you for this.  We had a few questions, please find answers below.

We also announced that we will be having a community meeting on Saturday August 13.  Many Sangat members said this will not work for them because of Kitchener Mela and the need to support Kitchener Sangat.  The agenda was to talk about loan commitments but many Sangat members have said they can talk to us at another time.  Due to this we will not have the meeting this week.  We will reschedule to get loan commitments.

 

While many Sangat agree with the decision of the GC, a handful are asking for a General Body meeting to decide on GC.  This is an option.  Many others have asked for the info to be sent to them and they support the committee’s vote (10 out of 10 members who were at the GC voting meeting) to select SKC Construction.   If you would like a General Body meeting to decide on the GC, please reply to this email by Monday August 15^th, 2016.  By not replying we will assume you continue to support the decision of the committee.

 

PLEASE READ BELOW TO FIND ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WE HAVE HAD:

Why do we need a Construction Consultant?

–          He is our neutral advocate, he makes sure everything is done properly for SGSS Cambridge and checks all payments issued.   We hired him because pricing form general contractors was not consistent.  The Consultant is a professional (29 years experience) that asks for all general contractors to give us pricing in the same way, so we can compare all pricing properly.  He also checks references, qualifications, credentials, professionalism.   The Sangat’s lawyer completely agrees that a consultant is needed to keep the best interests of SGSS Cambridge.

 

Why do we need a General Contractor?  Why can’t we finish the work ourselves or just have trades inside?

–          To coordinate the trades, to finish our Gurughar in a professional and safe way and for insurance purposes to protect any workers inside the new building.  If we don’t have a GC it means workers are not protected.

 

When can construction start?

–          Construction can start in September 2016.  We need finances to move forward but the reason it needs to start soon is because we have waited long enough for a permanent home for our Guru Maharaj.   We can wait longer, but if we do, we risk:

o   further delaying a project that is already 3 years overdue

o   bank financing changes (risk funding)

o   City inspectors retire at the end of the year.  This means that inspections that are already done by them will need to start over which means more delays.

o   Risk prices changing for requotes because contractor quotes are only valid a short time and material prices can change

–          As always, the committee is open to hearing what the Sangat wants with this to move forward.  We have heard lots of support with the decision to go with SKC and are happy to continue with our choice of them.

Why did the last email not have detailed enough quotes? Why isn’t the Sangat shown all details?

– Before last email the Sangat was not given a full breakdown of any info about GC’s in order to keep the integrity of the process.  The Operations Committee was given authority to proceed with this and needed to keep this process as honest and reliable as possible to protect the Sangat’s investment.  Please see attached most comparable quotes that we can now share.

What else do we need to know about how you got quotes?

–          All contractors were asked to quote to fully finish interior, but nothing on the exterior (save money for SGSS Sangat)

–          All contractors were asked to give full details on trades, payment schedules and timelines, and info on how we can guarantee trades will be paid and references

–          SKC:

o   Contract type is management + actual cost plus (see breakdowns – On the chart, April 2015 is SKC estimate before 2-3 of each trade were brought in to quote);

o   SKC gave us a payment schedule

o   Plan given as to how and when SKC will pay trades to avoid them putting lien against SGSS

o   $15000 pre-construction fee already paid, this will be deducted from amount in quote

–          Saagar:

o   Contract type is Stipulated fixed price, often called turn-key (see breakdowns)

o   Quote doesn’t include: elevator, Auto-Door openers (for accessibility – required), FRP Boards for Kitchen (needed to protect and maintain walls), HRV Units (to cycle air and reduce moisture)

o   No plan to guarantee payment is passed to trades to avoid lien against SGSS;

o   Also has additional permit and consulting fees of $27500

 

The consultant recommends SKC (see attached).

 

As always, if you have questions please reply to this email and let us know.

 

Thank you for your continued support

 Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

081016 SGSS Ref letter

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SGSS building budget July 27

Gurudwara Update – Aug 7th

Cambridge Gurdwara

Sun 7:33 PM

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Sadh Sangat Ji,

Thank you very much for your positive responses to the last email update.  We are looking forward to moving forward with the building project.  Please find more updates below.

Legal updates:

• Tatra trucking lien has been removed and outstanding balance owing to this company that weren’t previously paid have been taken care of
•  Tri-City Windows lien has been completely removed and all outstanding funds not previously paid have been given
• Two cases remain and the Sangat’s lawyer is still handling them

 Financing Updates:

• Be have raised over $80 000 in donations from outside gurdwara
• We have almost $200 000 in loan commitments from current committee members

 Breakdown of income and bills paid are posted at the Gurdwara.

We have had many members of the Sangat approach us offering to loan the Gurdwara money to complete the project.  There will be a community meeting on SATURDAY AUGUST 13 AT 4PM for anyone that can make a loan commitment or donation towards the building project.  All  Sangat members are encouraged to attend.  It will take place at the current gurdwara building at 1070 Townline Road.  The agenda is to discuss funding and loan commitments.  As you know, funding is very important for this project to be finished.  Please continue to help us with this seva as much as you can.  

 Thank you once again for your support through this project.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Gurudwara Building Update – Aug 6th

Cambridge Gurdwara

Sat 08-06

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Sadh Sangat Ji,

We are happy to announce that the sevadaars on the Operations Committee have selected a contractor to complete the construction of our Gurdwara.

The process used to select the new contractor was discussed at the previous general body meeting and is also listed below:

1. Previous building committee asked several contractors to visit the site and submit prices to complete the task.

2. Construction Consultant hired for the Sangat.  His task includes:

• Check all credentials and references of potential contractors
• Ensure the project moves forward appropriately and timely
• Check work before payment is issued

3. A total of 9 contractors were approached.  Five potential contractors were asked to submit a formal price and declined.  Four contractors submitted pricing in response to the Construction Consultant’s request.  Process for submitting quotes went through the Construction Consultant because we needed consistent pricing.  All contractors were asked to give:

• step by step what they will do
• break down costs and tell us what their direct costs are
• credentials and experience
• timelines to finish

4. Four contractors returned their pricing.  Two were outside the budget that the Sangat agreed to at the previous general body meeting and/or were not in the best interests of the Sangat.
Two of the contractors returned quotes that the Operations Committee were able to choose from:

 Option 1:  SKC Construction of Cambridge

• Gave construction consultant all info including credentials and references (for similar buildings including schools, factories and churches)
• In order to get the best available price for this project, SKC asked for 2-3 of each trade (electrical, plumbing etc) to provide a quote
• Trades used by SKC have also been verified by members of the committee
• Regularly works with the City of Cambridge, which will help us when trying to get permits etc.
• Total cost to completion, including below fees:  $1.3 million (changed from original estimate of 1.2 million because of HRV unit etc)
• Pre-Construction Fee: $15000 Has already been paid – this included full research of the project and payment to have trades in to quote the work, and also to prepare the report on status of building before any work takes place.  This fee needed to be paid to get finalized and detailed quote (normal for this industry)
• During Construction Fee: $60000 (includes management and related expenses)
• Post Construction Fee: $5000 (includes fees to finalize all paperwork)
• 4-5 months to complete

 Option 2: Saagar Construction of Brampton

• References provided were for plaza units and renovations only
• No established relationship yet with City of Cambridge
• Reluctantly gave info to the construction consultant, not all info requested was provided
• Pricing fluctuated,final prices lacked large items that other quotes included for reasons unknown (all were asked to provide the same breakdown)
• Ultimate breakdown of fees to the company (management fee etc) unknown due to fluctuating price
• Does not include elevator or HRV Units
• 6 – 8 months to complete
• Total cost $1.3 million (started at 1.6 million, went down to 1.2 million and increased again)

Based on the last General Body meeting, the Sangat gave overwhelming approval for the decision to move forward with a new contractor to finish our Gurdwara.  The Operations Committee has decided on SKC Constuction to finish the work in our Gurdwara.  The consultant agreed with us on this decision because of SKC’s reputation, knowledge, professionalism, and experience.

Sadh Sangat Ji, we are hopeful that our Gurughar will be completed very soon so that we can provide our community the strong foundation that we need to move forward with Guru Maharaj’s blessings.  Our Sangat has been very fortunate to be able to take part in such great seva and we are hopeful that we can continue with your support.  Thank you once again for the encouragement and support you have given the operations committee so far.  If you have any questions, please reply to this email.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

March 14th – Building Committee Update

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Sadh Sangat Ji,

The Building Committee is almost ready to present our findings to the Sangat.  We will be holding a General Body Meeting in the near future to make recommendations on how to move forward. We appreciate your patience with the time is it taking us, as you are aware we have had some struggles gathering all information on this project to date.

Finances:

Financial statements for building committee accounts to date are posted at the Gurdwara.

Fundraising:

We are very happy to announce that the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council has invited Cambridge Gurdwara and Sangat to send a float to the Nagar Kirtan on 26 April, 2016.  This float will help us raise awareness of our fundraising efforts for our Gurdwara.  The theme of this float will be the status of equality of women in Sikhism.   If any member of our Sangat would like to volunteer to help build this float or gather information for it, please let our Building Committee know.  We are excited to take part!

We will also be fundraising at other Gurdwaras on Vasakhi.  If you would like to volunteer to come with us, please let us know.  

 We are always open to answering any questions.   Please contact us at  info@cambridgegurdwara.ca.  We encourage you to give us your feedback and questions.  Please check our website regularly for updates at: www.sgsscambridge.com.

Thank you once again for your support!  

Building Committee – Siri Guru Singh Sabha Cambridge

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Dec 04th 2015

The Operations Committee has asked the Building Committee to provide the Sangat an update. Please find this message below.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

A General Body Meeting was held with the membership on Sunday November 22nd, 2015.  During this meeting, the membership in attendance recognized that an impasse had been reached by the Operations Committee with regards to how to proceed with completing the construction project of our new Gurdwara.  A motion was put forward to select a Building Committee in order to complete what remains of our project.  The motion to select a new Building Committee passed and the following seven members volunteered to assist with this project:

Daljit Singh Brar

Harvinder Singh

Irindeep Kaur Badial

Jasbir Singh Cheema

Jasvir Singh Sadhra

Kulbir Singh Tutt

Manmohan Singh Sandhu

Another motion was passed, giving these individuals the support of the membership and Sangat in order to complete the project that is already underway. 

The new Building Committee appreciates the support that they have already been given and the efforts put forth by the Operations Committee and Sangat.  Please contact any member of the Building Committee if you have any questions. 

 
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

Progress Update – Aug 2015

• The following report is being published on behalf of Suki Takhar

It has been some time now since I have updated the Cambridge Sangat on the status of our new Gurudwara Construction.  Lots has been happening behind the scenes, below is an update of what’s transpired.

Going forward I will be providing more regular updates with all pertinent information so that all facts can be shared with our community.

 

Financial Status:

 

1. Attached to the link below is the latest Reasonability Report prepared by Ghatora LLP (Chartered Professional Accountant). This is the Chartered Accountant that SGSS Cambridge has retained for several years to complete all the year end tax filings.  This firm is also responsible for any correspondance with the CRA with respect to any applicable Taxation, Charity and audit requirements.

 

2. This independent Reasonability Report was a requirement by the Bank of Nova Scotia in order to consider our request to extend our Line of Credit so that we could finish our project. This report, along side the Cash Flow Forecast for the upcoming year (Attached) as well as a Cost To Complete from the General Contractor (Attached) were all key elements that together with other information was used to determine whether or not the request for additional funding would be approved by the Bank.

 

Unfortunately the Bank Of Nova Scotia has decided not to move forward with further funding at this time and have provided us with a refusal letter dated the 26th of July 2015.  This letter cites various reasons for the unfavourable decision, one being the increased exposure by the bank as a loan extension would exceed their loan to debt ratio on a commercial building such as ours.

 

Links:

Reasonability Report for SGSS Sources and Uses

SGSS Cashflow Forecast 2015 and 2016

SGSS Report Ending 10 July 2015

3. Since reviewing the decision from the Bank Of Nova Scotia, several appointments with other Financial Institutions have been set for this week to seek out additional funding.  We are also in the process of getting an Independent “Post Build Appraisal” of our New Building.  We are confident that not only will this appraisal help us in the funding process, it is also a document that will be required by the Financial Institutions.

 

4. While the Initial Budgeted Cost of the actual “Construction Phase” for solely the building was approx. $3 million including HST. Our current expenditures to date are approx. $2.85 million including a HST rebate of $230,000 that we have received back from Revenue Canada.

 

There are areas where funds were spent that were “NOT” part of the Budgeted Cost of the “Construction Phrase”.

They include:

 

Note: Due to the complexity of the accounting process determining the costs applied to each area of the work, I have provided the best estimated cost for your reference. The Chartered Accountant will provide a final breakdown once his auditing process is completed.

 

A) Excavation that included the removal of all Trees – $10,000 estimated cost

 

B) The preliminary Landscaping of the complete Property in preparation for the Construction including the addition of approx. 150 truck loads of landfill – $50,000 estimated cost

 

C) The Excavation, Installation and Backfilling for the Geo Thermal piping – $15,000 estimated cost

 

D) The Excavation, Installation and Inspection of the Water Chamber, Fire hydrant and Sewer Piping from the main trunk at the roadside on Townline Road to the inside of the Building Foundation – $85,000 estimated cost

 

E) The Excavation and Connection of the Sewer and Water Pipes from the existing house to the new building relative connections – $8,000 estimated cost

 

F) The Excavation and Installation of Storm Management Piping from the Pond at the North side of the property to the Wetlands on the South side (As mandated by the City of Cambridge in order to control the flooding of the property as well as that of our neighbors) –  $50,000 estimated cost

 

G) The complete renovation of the basement including all new Plumbing, Electrical and Drywall of the Existing House due to the failure of the sump pump in the winter of 2013 causing a major flood in the entire basement – $30,000.00 estimated cost

 

H) The Design and Installation of the 3 Mezzanines in the Diwan hall, One for the Sachkand room and two meeting/utility rooms – $35,000 estimated cost

 

J) The Design, Build and Installation of the Electrical Transformer from the East side of Townline Road to the back of the SGSS property – $85,000 estimated cost

 

K) The cost of material for the silt fencing around the perimeter of the property as mandated by the GRCA – $8,000 estimated cost

 

L) The cost of materials for the wood fencing along the West Side of the property – $5,000 estimated cost

 

M) The Design and Installation of the Radiant Heating in the floor of the Langar Hall and the perimeter of the Diwan Hall – $35,000 estimated cost

 

N) Additional grade “B” Gravel and Sand was brought in to level for the Parking Lot for cars during the winter months – $15,000 estimated cost

 

There are areas of the budgeted project of the “Construction Phase” that were  “COST OVER RUNS” for the various reasons listed below

 

Note: Due to the complexity of the accounting process determining the costs applied to each area of the work I have provided the best estimated cost for your reference. The chartered accountant will provide a final cost once his auditing process is completed

 

A) During the Inspection Process of the Foundation Excavation for the Perimeter Walls, there were areas identified and soft spots observed that did not meet safety requirements.  The requirements are in place to ensure that there is adequate support for the structure of the Foundation Walls.  To meet requirements, it was necessary to dig deeper until the ground surface was sufficient to support the structure. Additional concrete and manpower was needed and this additional cost was – $25,000.00 estimated cost

 

B) While erecting several beams for our Steel Structure, it was observed that the several of the Beam Bases did not line up with the Steel Threaded rods in the Concrete Foundation.  The Material had to be reworked and/or remade, this error was in the Initial Design and not picked up until the Erection Process – $10,000.00 estimated cost

 

C) There was a gap of six inches around the perimeter of the roof above the Palki.  This Gap had to be covered by additional steel, this again was an error in the Initial Design and was not picked up until the Erection Process – $10,000.00 estimated cost

 

D) There was a misalignment in the erection of the steel in the Front Canopy due to an error in the Initial Design and additional rework was required to the Steel Bases and Concrete Structure to maintain the alignment of the canopy – $5,000 estimated cost

 

E) After the inside walls were erected in the Langar Hall as per the drawings, it was decided with input from Members of the Sangat and Committee that the Division Wall between the Kitchen and Langar Hall leave enough room in the Langar hall eating area.  We had the Architect Redesign the Interior to relocate the Dividing Wall and make the Langar Area larger. These changes effected the layout of the installed underground plumbing for the drains, sewers and water lines and all or these areas had to be re done.  This combined work resulted in an additional – $20,000.00 estimated cost

F) The layout of the Kitchen was revised twice due to changes requested by our Sangat.  This work also required the teardown and relocation of services and walls – $5,000.00 estimated cost

 

G) The plumber had to install two additional roof drains in the DIwan hall and reroute the water flow due to design changes from the original drawings – additional $10,000.00 estimated cost

 

H) The plumber had to connect the drain and sewer line from the house to the building, this was not part of the original contract – $5,000.00 estimated cost

 

I) The Stone Mason had to reposition six Windows in the North Side of the Diwan Hall as they were located too low in the original drawing.  This repositioning cost – $18,000 estimated cost

J) The Drywall Contractor had to rework the frames of the six windows as highlighted above these changes cost – $6000.00 estimated cost

 

K) The Drywall Contractor had to rework the Windows in the top Canopy due to changes in the original drawings. The original drawings had provisions for 5 windows per side but this interfered with the steel crossbeams so we had to reduce the number of windows to 3 per side and reposition them to fit between the steel braces. This cost – $5,000.00 estimated cost

 

L) The Drywall Contractor had to double the wall thickness on the North and South Side on both floors due to the steel cross bracing that was not picked up in the original drawings.  Additionally the walls of the washrooms in the Langar Hall were reworked to eliminate the need of doors, the walls in the kitchen area were also reworked due the changes from the original drawings. These changes cost – $20,000.00 estimated cost

 

I) All the changes to the drawings and other work by Engineers Inspectors and Architect have cost an additional – $50,000.00 estimated cost

 

J) The General Contractor whose Employees worked on the many changes as described above including:

• the Reworking of the steel braces
• Coring the concrete braces
• Applying the blue skin around the windows
• Building the Wooden Framing on the roof for the Parapet
• Reworking the flooring in the Langar Hall due to the changes in the drawings
• Pouring the Concrete for the Transformer installation
• Making and installing the temporary coverings to protect the building from the weather changes and several other issues that needed labor during the build.

The General Contractor Fees for services are $10,000.00 per month including a Full Time on site supervisor.  Due to the extended time taken to get to where we are currently, and the cost of the rental equipment, we have paid an extra – $100,000.00 estimated cost

K) We lost several weeks of work due to the delays by the Steel Contractor but we still had to pay for the services of the contractor and equipment rentals.

L) The harsh winter of the 2012 set the project back by several months

Based on the Reasonability Report provided by the Accountant, the General Contractor has been paid $2,478,764.98 to date.

We are going to our Accounting Firm to conduct a complete Audit of all the transactions that make up this total. The results of the audit will be released as soon as they become available.

 

Soft Costs

 

Soft costs are indirect costs not directly associated with the Construction Phase of the project.  These costs can include items such as:

• Payments made to our Architects for drawings or plans
• Developments Charges Applied by the City of Cambridge
• Building Permits Fees
• Inspection Fees
• Surveying, Testing and Consulting fees

I have attached a list of the Soft Costs of SGSS 2015 that we have incurred during the course of this project.

 

Management

 

The Construction of the New Building has to come to a halt since the beginning of the year due to a shortage of funds and the inability of the Management Team to provide Detailed Accounting records to its Members. It was passed by our Committee that an Independent Audit be conducted in April 2015 once we had our 2014 Financials completed.

 

This process was halted due to a change in the Project Management Team passed by this Committee.

 

Prior to the change of the Project Management Team we had a verbal approval of funding from the Bank and we could likely have carried on with the project to completion.  However, our funding was red flagged by the Bank when they were advised of the changes to the Project Management team by a certain member of the committee.

 

In June, it was passed by the Committee to revert back to the original Project Management team to so that we could attempt to secure the additional funding required to complete the building and get an occupancy Permit that will allow us to safely use the premises. This process in now in progress.

 

We have now given the go ahead to the Accountant to get the Audit completed and we will post the results for the membership to review.

 

I have attached a Progress Report for the actions taken in the month of June for your review.

 

Suki Takhar