BARRHEAD - An effort to save money and attract more local bidders may have seemingly backfired on Town of Barrhead councillors.
On Jan. 23, councillors unanimously opted to put the brakes, at least temporarily, on a project that would have seen the municipality construct an observation platform on Blue Heron Walking Trail adjacent to the Paddle River on what used to be the boardwalk saying the latest tenders they were received was too rich.
During council's 2024 budget deliberations councillors set aside $115,000 in the capital budget for the project.
However, parks and recreation director Shallon Touet noted that the municipality received five bids ranging from $148,870 to $335,400, excluding GST.
None of the bids include the necessary engineering or a contingency fund. When factoring those costs into the project, the minimum cost for constructing the observation deck is $175,870.
Chief Administrative Officer Edward LeBlanc said the project has a long history going back to October 2019, when the municipality closed and then 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 a "significant number of elements 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. Included in the future plans for the walkway was an observation deck.
LeBlanc said the municipality initially tendered the project through the Alberta Purchasing Connect's website, receiving one bid from an Edmonton-based company for $99,077.29.
He added that the council opted to re-tender the bid to get more and hopefully lower bids, especially from local contractors.
The council then re-tendered the project, changing its scope slightly and opting for different materials for the deck's railing, going from wood to metal in mid-February.
Again, the municipality only received one bid from a different Edmonton-based vendor for $113,581.04, excluding GST, which councillors approved in early March 2023, instructing administration to finalize the contract.
However, LeBlanc noted that the town never signed the contract as the contractor did not submit the required performance, labour, and material bonds.
The municipality then re-tendered the project with the five previously mentioned vendors, the majority from the greater Edmonton region, with the low bidder coming from northeastern B.C.
LeBlanc added that the municipality has spent roughly $33,500 to date, mostly in design and engineering work.
Coun. Don Smith said they should "cut their losses".
"The money is just too much for what we are trying to achieve at the river," he said, suggesting they keep the money in the budget but repurpose it for a different project. "There are a lot of open spaces [along the walking path on the river]; we could probably achieve much of the same thing by creating a nice sitting area with picnic tables and benches of an observation deck."
Mayor Dave McKenzie agreed, adding the money they've spent on the project hasn't been wasted.
"It was stuff that needed to get done regardless," he said. "If, at some point, we do have the funding to move forward [with an observation deck], much of the preliminary work will have already been done."
Coun. Rod Klumph also agreed to delay the project, saying that initially, council wanted the project to have an accessible river viewing platform.
"Can we do that and have something closer to the river that is still accessible?" he asked.
Touet said yes, saying they did a lot of work clearing the trail two years ago to make it "more park-like."
"We have an asphalt trail, and spots directly overlook the river where the ground is fairly compact," he said, adding people with mobility issues are already taking advantage of the area.
Oswald agreed with Smith, saying they should keep the money in the budget but look for a similar project for the area and still be in the budget.
Dave Sawatzky also agreed but suggested that the funds did not have to be specifically for a project in the same area but should be kept used for projects in the same vein, most notably recreation and the walking path, asking if parks and recreation had a Blue Heron Trail wish list.
LeBlanc said he did not know, but administration would do some research and bring potential ideas for projects for council's consideration in future months.
