Council bit the bullet and work on finishing the 54 Avenue project will break ground later this spring.
In an eventual unanimous decision, the $1.3 million tender from Elite Site Services was accepted for phase two of the water and sewer reconstruction along the section of 54 Avenue from 52 Street and extending just past 54 Street. Work is anticipated to begin as early as April 15, but that is all dependent on whether the ground has thawed enough for equipment to begin digging.
“Somewhere, we simply have to just bite the bullet and go ahead and do it,” Coun. Rosella Peterman following some discussion on the price tag and the options presented.
However, with the rest of council leaning their support to the option that would include two pieces of additional work, Coun. Lynn Schultz wavered until he managed to secure funding on pavement.
“I just don’t want it left until next year and then if we don’t have the money for pavement so it doesn’t get done,” he said.
“If we are going to a job, then let’s just do it all. You don’t build a house and leave the windows out until you can afford it.”
Schultz understood the need for the gravel and road base to have settled prior to being paved, he just wanted the money in place so council didn’t have to raise taxes in order to get the project completed to the standard it wants — since the pavement was not included in the project tender.
So, in addition to awarding the tender and spurred by Schultz, council approved setting aside at least $200,000 in 2020 for the pavement.
Schultz added it’s still his belief that council made a mistake in splitting up the project in the first place.
“This has cost us nothing but money and is going to cost us more money if we keep doing a little here and a little there,” he stated.
CAO Theresa Fuller did agree with Schultz, in that in hindsight tendering the entire project then would have been wonderful. Although, when the original price of doing all of 54 Avenue came in at $3.2 million, it was a huge sticker shock to council.
The other part that couldn’t be anticipated though was how much of a bargain the town would get initially — with the first phase costing around $1.2 million, around $400,000 less than first thought.
In terms of the actual tender, McDonald joined Peterman in getting on board with including the two provisional portions — fire hydrant replacement and water distribution upgrades in the Robinson Place area.
“If we are going to do it, do it right,” stated McDonald. “I hate dipping into reserves all the time, but I keep thinking what is the rainy day we keep these reserves for? Water and sewer.”
However, he added that because council has chosen the more inclusive option, administration may have to be ready to hear the word ‘no’ more often until reserves start building back up again or other grant funding comes through.
Discussion points
As for the added work of the hydrants and water line upgrades, both Fuller and town foreman Murray Holroyd explained the necessity of them prior to council approving the tender.
The first priority was to get the water line that services the homes located in Robinson Place replaced. Since the main water service on 54 Ave to the reservoir will be new PVC pipe, according to Holroyd, it only makes sense to replace the old loop of cast iron pipe in Robinson Place with PVC.
In addition, a second shut-off valve will be installed so that if there ever is a break in the area, it can be isolated from the rest of the system. Currently, there is only one valve, meaning water would need to be turned off to hundreds of homes on Bashaw’s west end in order to make repairs in Robinson Place.
The other priority is replacing a total of eight old fire hydrants across the community this summer. Those hydrants are over 70 years old and replacement parts are next to impossible to get a hold of.
Fuller stated there is an advantage to doing it now, in spite of the fact it increases the price of the project. She also noted the town would face a considerable challenge if it had to replace the hydrants on their own or if needed to be repaired in an emergency.