NATCHEZ ON THE WATERFRONT15
through on these and other issues helps hone one’s vision into a more meaningful and targeted approach for implementation. One also has to carefully think through a timeline for implementation and, importantly, build in extra time for things that might not go as smoothly as planned, including such things as permitting and government requirements, contractor and supply delays. Once you’ve defined your vision,
there are several ways to consider such projects – adhere to the vision no matter the cost, driven by the budget or some combination of the two. As you likely know, most projects
end up in the latter category, which is where a lot of the ‘give and take’ comes into play.
Budget considerations While many projects start with a vision of the best of everything, budget considerations have a way of creeping in during the project which, unless planned for, can significantly compromise attaining the essence of one’s vision. We have seen too many projects radically compromised as financial resources become of concern in the middle of a project. Those that are strictly budget-
driven can have the same effect. There are numerous examples
where a well-meaning, but construction-knowledge-lacking financial controller gets involved and thinks money can be saved by utilising a less expensive product or contractor, etc., only to find that the result is a lesser quality and causes other compromises down the line, delivering a result far from what was the motivating vision. One of the most notorious
examples that we ran into is where a project was creating and expanding upland through the use of dredged sandy materials – a process called reclamation. The design called for the use of the dredge material that was a relatively long way off from
While many projects start with a vision of the best of everything,
budget considerations have a way of creeping in during the project which, unless planned for, can significantly compromise attaining the essence of one’s vision.
the to-be-expanded upland area. The project was then given to a financially-oriented manager who believed that he could save over 60% of the reclamation cost by taking the material from just in front of the upland expansion portion of the project. Unfortunately, the area’s geology was not considered and the sediment composition of that material was far different from that which had been targeted. The result was that when structures were put on the new land both the land and the new structures started sinking! The cost overruns to solve these problems proved to be far in excess of the initial budget cost. Carefully planning and thinking
through the vision with a realistic budget is critically important in achieving the desired result. It is normal to want the best of everything, but there are realistic economic scenarios to consider in terms of resources, as well as payback and rates of returns. One also needs to consider the various cause and effect of budget-driven decisions. When looking at cost, one should
definitely be looking beyond the initial price tag and look at the costs of implementation as well as maintenance. All too often we see decisions made on the upfront cost only. There are differences in the quality that different contractors can deliver, as well as products in terms of what the cost of implementing, as well as maintaining, these will be against their initial purchase costs. In working with a facility owner and manager on their desired project to totally change their pontoon system, which was well beyond its useful life, a program was agreed upon. First, a set of specifications was carefully created and then numerous products
MARINA INDUSTRY • APRIL 2021
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