Current Events > Libertarian builds $550 staircase for park after city said it would cost $150000

(+) Yeah! (+)

An amusing bureaucratic debate has arisen in Canada after a retired mechanic took it upon himself to build a $550 staircase on a dangerous local park trail – which is a substantially lower price tag than the city’s original estimate.

When several community members of Etobicoke, Ontario had fallen down or gotten injured on the rocky Tom Riley Park path, local citizens contacted the city for a price estimate on a staircase. Much to their dismay, the city said that eight steps would cost taxpayers anywhere from $65,000 to $150,000.

So, Adi Astl stepped up to build the installation himself. With several other neighbors offering to help finance the stairs, Astl hired a homeless man to assist with the project. Within a matter of hours, they had built eight steps for roughly $550.

Community members have already thanked Astl for his work, saying that it has made the path substantially less dangerous. Astl, who is in his seventies, say that it was never about the money – it was about keeping people safe.

Meanwhile, Mayor John Tory says that while the original estimate for the staircase was definitely uncalled for, he emphasizes that citizens can’t simply modify public spaces simply because they don’t like the way things are. Additionally, the park already has a more accessible path further past the new staircase – visitors simply used the rocky trail as a shortcut at their own risk.

However, city council members are now saying that instead of tearing down the staircase to build a new one, workers will most likely improve upon Astl’s installation for significantly less money than the original project.

Full Article: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/man-built-550-staircase-park-city-estimated-65k/

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFLu7psXkAApjxI.jpg

Where do you side on this one?

Astl's cheap but potentially unsafe stairs?
Or the government's insaney bloated but secure stairway to heaven?
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Without government, who would steal our money?
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UnfairRepresent posted...

he emphasizes that citizens can’t simply modify public spaces simply because they don’t like the way things are.

oh stfu he made it safer you dumbass
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Siiiiigggghhhhh
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BallerXRosetta- posted...

Without government, who would steal our money?

The corporations because there wouldn't be any regulations in place, so they'd take even more of our money.

the stairs look fine, wouldn't spend 65k on 8 steps.
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iamintents posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

he emphasizes that citizens can’t simply modify public spaces simply because they don’t like the way things are.

oh stfu he made it safer you dumbass

And so what happens if little susie or elderly Magret steps on it next month, a step shatters due to poor foundations and they break their fragile necks?
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$500 and $65,000 are both fucking stupid estimates. There's a reasonable middle ground for fuck sake.
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Somebody isn't getting their earmark payment I guess.
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Another example of how wasteful the government is.
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BallerXRosetta- posted...

Without government, who would steal our money?

Careful. I've been suspended for saying that.
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I bet that 65 - 150 K included a lot of prevailing wage money.
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So they made a shortcut more safe?
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...anyone else immediately think of Ron Swanson upon seeing the topic title?
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He sounds well meaning and sounds like he did a decent job, but obviously you can't just have public spaces being altered by whichever well meaning citizen decides to do a DIY project.
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HitTheGroundWal posted...

...anyone else immediately think of Ron Swanson upon seeing the topic title?

Totally, the pothole bit?
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Not even that specifically, but you make a good point.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

iamintents posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

he emphasizes that citizens can’t simply modify public spaces simply because they don’t like the way things are.

oh stfu he made it safer you dumbass

And so what happens if little susie or elderly Magret steps on it next month, a step shatters due to poor foundations and they break their fragile necks?

no
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UnfairRepresent posted...

However, city council members are now saying that instead of tearing down the staircase to build a new one, workers will most likely improve upon Astl’s installation for significantly less money than the original project.

That seems like the most sensible option really. I don't see much point in tearing it down if it was (more) unsafe to begin with.

He must have spent US dollars while the government spent Canadian dollars
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iamintents posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

iamintents posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

he emphasizes that citizens can’t simply modify public spaces simply because they don’t like the way things are.

oh stfu he made it safer you dumbass

And so what happens if little susie or elderly Magret steps on it next month, a step shatters due to poor foundations and they break their fragile necks?

no

"No" isn't an answer to that question.
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Well i'm on my way to Etobicoke to have a staircase accident! Gonna cost them more than $150000 to make me feel better again.
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he emphasizes that citizens can’t simply modify public spaces simply because they don’t like the way things are.

Bureaucrats smh

Keep in mind that most of that $150,000 cost is due to required union labor, which left-wing parties like the Democrats bend over to weave into legislation in exchange for votes. The rest of the difference is mandatory environment impact surveys and other regulatory nonsense.

Anyway, this dude is a hero. Hope he sticks it to government even further by deducting that $550 from his local tax bill.
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@hockeybub89
@Antifar
@Darkman124
@ChromaticAngel
@DiesMortis
@averagejoel

All this because people are too lazy to go all the way around lol
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The Admiral posted...

Keep in kind that most of that $150,000 cost is due to required union labor, which the Democrats bend over to weave into legislation in exchange for votes. The rest of the difference is left-wing mandatory environment impact surveys and other regulatory nonsense.

Anyone, this dude is a hero. Hope he sticks it to government even further by deducting that $550 from his local tax bill.

First paragraph is expected utter garbage, but I agree with the 2nd paragraph.
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The government probably would have had to create a new position for someone to oversee/hire the contractor who built the staircase. Most of their estimate was probably for that new government employee's salary and benefits.
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Anarchy_Juiblex posted...

$500 and $65,000 are both fucking stupid estimates. There's a reasonable middle ground for fuck sake.

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Vindris_SNH posted...

Another example of how wasteful the government is.

Yup. And I guarantee the same kind of horrific waste and inefficiency is there in Canada's education system, healthcare system, etc. Big government is wasteful, bloated, and greedy. And they know they can get away with it because of all the tax cattle under their rule.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Sure it's great that he built that, but also you can't just modify public spaces as you see fit even if you think it'll benefit the public. Also by building that yourself, you place all liability on yourself if someone were to use it and get hurt somehow.

Why am I being mentioned?
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ChromaticAngel posted...

Why am I being mentioned?

wake up sheeple!
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Hopefully he treated the wood to be water resistent.

Other than that, it should be fine.
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KamenRiderBlade posted...

Hopefully he treated the wood to be water resistent.

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHVR485txX8
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need to pay someone to design the steps
someone to build it
another to review it
another to manage it

that more than $500
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If the city is unhappy it can do better than say he shouldn't do the work himself. Show where there may be problems, then itemize what 65,000 would go to into the project. Otherwise, yeah, the right wingers are right and the city is upset some contractor friends can't get thousands for a few hundreds work of work.
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lightwarrior78 posted...

then itemize what 65,000 would go to into the project

got to pay a person to do this
likely an engineer and they don't come cheap
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Ex-Kefiroth posted...

Mind you that's in Canadian Dollars, so 150K is like $3.50 USD or something

$150,000 CAD = $119,160 USD at the time of this posting.
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darkphoenix181 posted...

lightwarrior78 posted...

then itemize what 65,000 would go to into the project

got to pay a person to do this
likely an engineer and they don't come cheap

No. They shove this stuff...er...delegate this kind of actual admin work onto unpaid interns or lower level peons. I know this because it's my job. My boss needs information, he asks me because he wouldn't have a clue where to begin on his own.
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I'm kinda at a middle ground. He did a good thing, and probably help a lot of people.

But due to lack of oversight, these stares might not be water/element resistant, give into stress at certain wights, etc.

I think from here the city should step in an make adjustments and improvements. Even if it's 5-10k now for improvements, he saved the tax payers a lot of money.
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The Admiral posted...

Keep in kind that most of that $150,000 cost is due to required union labor, which the Democrats bend over to weave into legislation in exchange for votes. The rest of the difference is left-wing mandatory environment impact surveys and other regulatory nonsense.

Anyway, this dude is a hero. Hope he sticks it to government even further by deducting that $550 from his local tax bill.

Yep get those dang democrats out of canadian municipal decisions!
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One of my projects is government work actually, and there is so much bullshit and red tape it hurts.

I had to resubmit my engineering drawings dozens of times

Ron Swanson?
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clearaflagrantj posted...

One of my projects is government work actually, and there is so much bullshit and red tape it hurts.

I had to resubmit my engineering drawings dozens of times

we better raise taxes and give them even more money! we need more social programs!!!

He should have just made it much more dangerous so some people got into horrible fatal accidents so then the government might consider doing something themselves.

Or spend $200,000 to remove the stairs and still not fix it.
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Lmao at them actually STILL planning on spending money on this shit. The stairs are already there
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Wtf! I hope someone would investigate and roast shit out of the people who gave the original price estimations. Fucking 60k plus for small stair case? No way. More likely 3 to 6k for the actual stairs, and 54-57k for overall city budget or own use, and bullshit excuses "hur hur, costs to hire builders , fucking derpy herp herp".
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As someone who has done this type of work before:

- Supports in the center of the stairs but none at the edges
- Hand rail only on one side
- Wood does not look treated, meaning it is not going to hold up long in weather
- Stair foundation is not sunk into ground properly
- Bottom casting left up post-work

Like, it's nice that he did this but its shoddy work. Realistically, I could build it right for around $1000 and it'd last decades. This is a super simple job that takes about 2 days work plus time for the concrete to dry.
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