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Promenade - Megathread


slinkydevil

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2 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said:

It’s easy to criticize and it’s quite understandable how just looking at the sensationalist headlines it appears that the DOI are guilty of mismanagement.

Yes mistakes have been made, as they are in all walks of life, but there appears to be a will ( a wish if you like), exemplified by your comments, that the Department should fail in their endeavours to improve the infrastructure on the island.

Its a populist, rabble rousing view and a cheap shot considering the current constraints that the Department has to operate within.

 

 

The main problem there is they don't have anybody competent enough to achieve it!

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The Department has few "constraints". It operates within a huge budget and further project budgets are approved by Tynwald (additionally, such budgets are supposed to have been properly costed before application).

Few of its works do not have to be revisited for rectification work, often for years afterwards (Richmond Hill being a prime example). Douglas Promenade is the latest case, and will be for many years to come.

The Department's management has been proved to be lacking by an independent report commissioned by Government. Its CEO position was stated as being unable to be responsible for the breadth of Departmental responsibilities.

There is no "wish" to see the Dept fail; it is more than abundantly capable of that by itself, repeatedly and provenly.

What there is, is frustration and anger at a total lack of ability to deliver projects on time and within budget, as was stated by Alf Cannan during his Budget address in February this year and the inconvenience inflicted upon the taxpaying general public and businesses. The DOI long ago forgot where its funding ultimately comes from (as has far too much of Govt).

Taxpayers are paying for this incompetence. There is no defence.

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Tax payers pay for the projects , tax payers pay for the salaries and pensions for those in DOI . Tax payers pay to repair the mistakes and all ensuing issues that covers. Is it to much to ask that they at least care and attempt to get one project right !!??? I asked VOR before to name me one project thats been successfully delivered on time and on budget . Still waiting for a reply. The Prom is going to be with us for a year or more  and going to cost us all loads but how about the NSC pool ?? What a stellar contract thats been ! Richmond hill 2 years from starting is still getting snagged at whos cost ! ? 

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5 hours ago, ptarmigan said:

I’d like to have seen a beamans report into DOI finances.   I’m shocked the ceo still has a job. 

Strong rumour is he is working 6 weeks notice as apparently handed his notice in after the report came out . Havent heard anything since though so who knows ?.

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34 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

Strong rumour is he is working 6 weeks notice as apparently handed his notice in after the report came out . Havent heard anything since though so who knows ?.

6 weeks notice, but due to snagging issues in his letter, the notice period is expected to take an extra 24 extra weeks.

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13 hours ago, Peter Layman said:

You should amend your moniker to suck up to government. The appalling record of the department of incompetence makes it easy to criticise.

 

I don’t think you can amend your moniker. If I remember correctly La Dolce Vita at one point enquired about doing this but JW said he couldn’t. Whether this was because of technical reasons or something else I don’t know.

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12 hours ago, Numbnuts said:

Tax payers pay for the projects , I asked VOR before to name me one project thats been successfully delivered on time and on budget . Still waiting for a reply. 

Sorry I thought I had answered that. Anyway here is one project successfully delivered on time and on budget.

The transfer of the Public Health Directorate to the Cabinet Office

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12 hours ago, Numbnuts said:

Tax payers pay for the projects , tax payers pay for the salaries and pensions for those in DOI . Tax payers pay to repair the mistakes and all ensuing issues that covers. Is it to much to ask that they at least care and attempt to get one project right !!??? I asked VOR before to name me one project thats been successfully delivered on time and on budget . Still waiting for a reply. 

DOI specific projects fitting that description include the reconstruction of Maine Road, Port Erin and the strengthening of Mywillin E Quinnery bridge.

 

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1 hour ago, Numbnuts said:

Strong rumour is he is working 6 weeks notice as apparently handed his notice in after the report came out . Havent heard anything since though so who knows ?.

I doubt he’s going. He’s lasted this long.say one thing about NB, he’s a survivor. 

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6 hours ago, ptarmigan said:

I’d like to have seen a beamans report into DOI finances.   I’m shocked the ceo still has a job. 

As I said at the time when Black was appointed, he was put in place because he was weak, ineffectual and full of bullshit.  It meant that all the little empires inside DoI could continue doing whatever they wanted without any control or responsibility.  And he's fulfilled his job requirement perfectly.

People misunderstand the purpose of Departmental CEOs in Manx Government.  They are not there to manage the Department as their job title would suggest.  They are there to manage the Minister (and any other politicians involved) and Tynwald.  Meanwhile those nominally under them go along doing whatever they did before, competently or not.  It means a CEO can be 'sacrificed' when things are going very obviously wrong without any need to change things.

Indeed the title of CEO is actually a fairly new one and to some extent the work involved was done in the past by Minsters or Committee Chairmen.  

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1 hour ago, The Voice of Reason said:

DOI specific projects fitting that description include the reconstruction of Maine Road, Port Erin and the strengthening of Mywillin E Quinnery bridge.

 

Mywillin E Quinnery Bridge was back in 2017 and carried out by Careys and Maine Road by JCK also in or around 2017. Both short contracts and one a road needing adoption. Not really ground breaking contracts to use as a example . 

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1 hour ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Sorry I thought I had answered that. Anyway here is one project successfully delivered on time and on budget.

The transfer of the Public Health Directorate to the Cabinet Office

Surely that wasnt DOI responsible for that !?? 

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21 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

Mywillin E Quinnery Bridge was back in 2017 and carried out by Careys and Maine Road by JCK also in or around 2017. Both short contracts and one a road needing adoption. Not really ground breaking contracts to use as a example . 

They fitted the brief you gave me. You can’t go back and change the goalposts.

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