It is confirmed the City of North Battleford will go ahead with the latest phase of runway rehabilitation at the Cameron McIntosh Airport.
This is despite losing out on a provincial Community Airport Partnership grant that would have covered 50 per cent of the latest phase of the project, which had been estimated at $550,000.
Instead of doing $550,000 worth of runway work, Mayor Ryan Bater told reporters, they will instead do half of that, or $275,000.
“We’re going to scale it back because we weren’t awarded the provincial share,” said Bater. “The city will still contribute the share we had intended to. The city had budgeted $275,000, we’re still going to do $275,000.”
The news that North Battleford had lost out on this year’s CAP grant came as a surprise, as the city had been awarded grants from the province for the previous three phases of the runway rehab project.
While disappointed not to receive the CAP grant this year, Bater said “we are grateful for past contributions. They’ve been working with us for the past several years and we are hopeful for the future. This just wasn’t our year.”
Bater added they were committed to the runway project.
“The runway was at the end of its useful life. It needed rehabilitation. This was a need, so we need to continue.”
On a related note, the contract has been awarded for the roadways portion of the undergrounds pipe and asphalt replacement (UPAR) capital work in the city for 2019, as well as other capital projects.
That tender went to Battleford-based K&S Asphalt Services Ltd. for the low bid price of $1,941,502.94 plus GST. They won out over two other bidders from North Battleford and Lloydminster.
The contract covers such projects as the 100th Street rehabilitation project from 11th to 12th Avenues, the new King Street Station parking lot, and the airport resurfacing.
