HUMBOLDT — Council has approved $374,000 worth of work on the Seventh Street repaving and beautification project.
The concrete work for the project, which goes from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue, will cost $199,000 plus tax. It will be done by RGM Contracting.
The original expectation was it would cost $153,700. Peter Bergquist, Humboldt’s public works director, said some items were added.
“After the project was initially approved we reviewed it and then there was some comment about adding some more decorative features to the area. A large part of it [the discussion] was if we'd regret not investing a bit more to have some decorative features in that area.”
The sidewalk on the west side of the 500 block of Seventh Street, located just south of Sixth Avenue, will be expanded from 1.2 metres wide to 1.5 metres. Pavers were added on the west side of Seventh Street north and south of the Sixth Avenue intersection.
“We feel we achieved the right balance of cost versus benefit while trying to keep it reasonably cost effective for the expectations of the area,” Bergquist said.
The public works director said the plan is to partially pay for the extra cost by tapping into the project's $35,000 contingency. He did warn council there could be unforeseen issues that eat into that contingency.
Electrical work for the public will be done by a local company, Hergott Electric, for $165,000 plus tax, which is around $3,400 under budget.
The decorative lamp posts include notches to hang banners and planters, and sockets to power Christmas lights.
