BARRHEAD - Town of Barrhead councillors put a halt to the building of the observation deck on the Blue Heron Walking Trail in hopes that they will be able to attract a local bidder to construct the structure.
At their Feb. 14 meeting, councillors opted to go against a recommendation from the parks and recreation department to accept the bid from Greentree Outdoor Living for $99,077.29 to build a composite decking observation platform with a wooden guardrail at the location of the old boardwalk.
Instead, they asked administration to re-tender the project, keeping it open for 30 days in the hopes they will receive more bids, especially from local vendors. They also changed the project's scope, opting for an aluminium railing.
In October 2019, the municipality closed and later demolished the boardwalk after receiving a report it commissioned from Associated Engineering for $20,000, which recommended its closure and destruction. The report stated that the structure did not meet the 2014 Alberta Building Code, saying that a "significant number of elements that were under-designed."
The boardwalk section remained closed for the remainder of 2019, and in the spring of 2020, it was replaced by an asphalt walkway.
In the public agenda package, it noted that during council's 2020 budget deliberations, they asked administration staff to get pricing for the construction of two observation decks. However, after consulting with their engineering firm, councillors decided to go with one, with the ideal location recommended being just west of Rosemary Empey Park.
In 2023, council, as part of their budget deliberations, upped the budget by $15,000 to $115,000.
Parks and recreation director Shallon Touet noted that the municipality received only one submission for the project from the Edmonton-based Greentree Outdoor Living.
As the bid meets all the requirements of the tender (prepared for them by Reed Jones Christoffersen Engineering, for $26,400 in 2022) and is within the set budget, Touet said parks and recreation are recommending they accept the bid.
He said the only question remaining is whether council would like to upgrade the guard railing material from treated wood to a wire cable or a half-inch tempered glass guardrail for an additional cost. The wire cable guard rail would add $23,940 to the project, while the glass would add $44,700.
Coun. Rod Klumph asked for Touet's recommendation for guard railing material, saying in his mind glass might be the safest route, as children could not slip through the spindles or cable.
Touet said while that is true, all the materials had their strengths and weaknesses, specifically noting the problem the City of Calgary had with vandals breaking the glass panes of its Peace Bridge.
"Wood would be the most maintenance-free," he said. "Later, if we wanted to, we could upgrade to metal, which our staff could add."
Coun. Dave Sawatzky asked if any local companies, while not submitting formal bids, had expressed any interest.
Touet replied, unfortunately, no.
"Edmonton was the closest," he said. "We had one person or company go on the (Alberta Purchasing Connection or APC) website and a couple from Vancouver and Calgary."
APC is an Alberta government website that it uses to advertise its tenders. Municipalities are also required to post and accept the best bids over a certain dollar amount under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA) between Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Sawatzky then asked Touet why he felt no local companies opted to inquire about the project.
"Were they just not aware of it?"
Touet did not want to hazard a guess, saying he did speak to two local contractors about the project, and the municipality advertised the request for proposals (RFP) was advertised in the local newspaper.
He added that companies and businesses interested in competing for provincial and municipal contracts would know to check the APC website.
Coun. Dausen Kluin said he would opt for an aluminium guard rail system as he believed they would need less maintenance.
He then asked again how the municipality advertised the RFP, saying he recently spoke to an owner of a local welding-fabricating business who was completely unaware of the project.
Chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc reiterated that as per the municipality's standard practice, the tender was advertised in the local newspaper and the APC website.
"Most, if not all contractors, know (the APC) is the site to go to for municipal projects, and it is not a secret," he said.
LeBlanc, later in the meeting, noted they would repeat the process with the re-tendering. Touet added that he would also talk to local contractors and let them know about the project.
Coun. Assaf asked when was the earliest that construction could begin, if they awarded the contract to Greentree Outdoor Living.
Touet said he would expect shovels in the ground by the end of March with a "substantial completion date of June 29".
Assaf added that he did not feel comfortable awarding a contract when there was only one bidder but did not want to risk not completing the project this year.
This was a sentiment Sawatzky also shared, asking if they re-tendered the project, could they shorten the submission time to 30 days to ensure its completion in 2023.
Touet said it was possible but added the municipality would have to be cognizant of Migratory Bird Act which restricts when they can build in an ecologically sensitive area, such as the Paddle River ravine, which could put the start time for the observation deck into summer.
LeBlanc cautioned councillors that the municipality, given the requirements of the NWPTA, could not be perceived as "shopping around."
"We asked for and received the best price," he said. "Typically, when we re-tender a project, we change its scope."
Coun. Anthony Oswald was OK with that, saying they needed to re-tender it with the price of a metal or aluminium railing because when he was with public works, they had nothing but trouble with the wooden rails made with treated lumber.
"That was the trouble with the boardwalk and its wooden handrails. They were continually being vandalized," he said. "I would suggest a railing made from aluminium or galvanized metal. If not we will continually have to fix them."
Kluin agreed but emphasized the need to select a local company.
"If you bring in someone local, they are going to take pride in their work and not just be a money, profit thing," he said.
In an interview after the meeting, the Barrhead Leader asked LeBlanc what happens if a local company submitted a bid, along with companies outside the region.
Assuming all the companies meet the bid requirements, council should select the lowest bid.
"There is always a chance a (municipal council), for whatever reason, doesn't accept that bid, but they run the risk of it being challenged," he said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
