Замена водопровода в Бичбурге отложена до 2027 года из-за отсутствия подрядчиков и перерасхода бюджета

Beachburg — There will be a further delay in the replacement of the aging Beachburg Road watermain, which has already experienced several failures. The tender documents for the work had provided a construction schedule specifying August 6, 2026, as the start date for the project, with substantial completion on November 27, 2026. Initially there was considerable interest in the project, when tender documents were released on July 15. Sixteen contractors picked up documents during the bid period, but when the tender closed on July 29, only one bid had been submitted. Bonnechere Excavating Inc. (BEI) was prepared to take on the job at a total cost of $1,233,605 including HST. “We viewed the tender submission, and staff are recommending to not award the bid but to re-tender in the fall,” Director of Public Works Lane Cleroux told Whitewater Region council at its August 5 meeting. The actual work now will not proceed until 2027. Mr. Cleroux said the section of watermain along Beachburg Road slated for replacement runs from the intersection of Anderson and Beachburg Roads, out 290 meters to the village limits. “Staff feel that some of the excesses in the budget were due to market availability,” he added. “They were talking to some companies, and a lot of them were already fully committed for 2026. They feel that, with re-tendering in the fall and some changes to the scope of the work, we’ll hopefully see a better pricing in 2027.” Councillor Mike Moore shared the hope the re-tendering will result in savings. “For that length of pipe, I think we can find it a little cheaper than over a million dollars,” he said. “So, I’m in favour of posting again. It’s just astronomical. How would we fit that into our budget?” Councillor Connie White shared her reaction when she first heard the amount of the bid. “I was thinking, this was like the whole main street of Beachburg,” she said. “And then when I heard ‘Anderson to the limits of Beachburg’ I’m like, ‘are you kidding me?’ So yeah, I agree. We have to put this off because that’s just astronomical.” Councillor Joe Trimm said he supported the staff recommendation despite the possibility of the watermain failing while the delay continues. “I’m hoping that the watermain lasts,” he said. “It has given us some awful problems in the past. However, I think we’ll be okay.” Councillor Chris Olmstead asked about the effect of the delay on the bottom line. “Hopefully, it doesn’t go up from there, but what kind of savings are we expecting if we delay it until 2027?” he asked. Mr. Cleroux said in light of a thorough review of the figures, “we’d say $500,000 hopefully at least.” Mayor Neil Nicholson said the cost of replacing the line had been budgeted at approximately $1,500 a meter. “And it’s coming in at 3,000 bucks a meter,” he said. Mayor Nicholson backtracked to Coun. Trimm’s concern about failure of the old pipe. “That comes at a cost,” he said. “We had failures on that portion of the line last year. How much was that worth, approximately?” Superintendent of Environmental Services, Deanna Nicholson, responded. “I think we’re in the $20,000 to $25,000 range, every time there’s a break,” she said. “So, the delay also comes at a cost, which just further eats into the money that’s available,” said the mayor. Coun. Trimm asked if any mitigating strategies are in place to ease up on the pressure of the line. “The pressure on my end has dropped since the last break, said Coun. Moore. “I have half the pressure I used to have.” The motion to reject the sole bid passed and the project will be re-tendered this fall for completion in 2027. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.