It was an unprecedented move taking a paving contractor off Chilliwack's list of eligible bidders, but city council voted unanimously to do just that.
Poor-quality paving work and repeated traffic-control errors were just two of the many reasons cited why contractor Key-West Asphalt (333) Ltd. was officially struck last Tuesday from bidding on city contracts for a period of five years.
The ferociously competitive bids submitted by Key-West might have saved the city more than half a million dollars over the years, but the safety risks and long-term road maintenance costs were deemed not to be worth the savings, according to staff reports.
Key-West's actions raised too many safety and quality flags, and more than other paving firms hired by the city, and staff said the type of violations listed, often put the public at risk.
That was the kicker.
Once a flagger abandoned their post and was later fired, and unmaintained work zone signs were an issue more than once.
In 2016 the contractor was "shut down for a month while acceptable safety management procedures proposed and implemented," according to the report.
There were cease work orders, warnings, and once the contractor had to reimburse a homeowner after using a private hose without permission.
Key-West Asphalt (333) Ltd. or companies under other business names, such as GTB Construction or Keywest, had been awarded the paving contract at city hall every year but two, dating back to 2009. Key-West has also been the sub-contractor on several design/build projects.
Last month a vigorous rebuttal to the staff report was delivered in council chambers by company spokesperson Gurneet Dhatt for Keywest Asphalt (333), who asked for another chance. She offered council ideas for improvement strategies, new personnel, as well as quality and safety assurances, but to no avail.