Following a spirited debate in council, the City of Estevan is moving forward with plans to construct a new bio-solids building in 2014.
A tender package for the much-delayed facility was presented at the March 17 regular meeting of council. Wilhelm Construction Services of Estevan came in with the low bid of $1.421 million.
However, that figure was well over the $800,000 that had been initially esimated for the project and although the city is moving forward, they have decided to push the purchase of the requisite equipment for the facility to 2015.
The decision was not arrived at unanimously though. Councillor Kevin Smith said he was not pleased with the prospect of beginning the building in 2014 but not purchasing the equipment until the following year.
Smith said he is tired of the City not completing projects and also expressed concerns that the project was well over the budgeted figure of $800,000.
"I'm a little disappointed with our engineering firms that give us estimates that are unrealistic," Smith said.
Councillor Greg Hoffort concurred with Smith and suggested the City approach Wilhelm Construction about the potential of tabling the project until 2015.
The four other members of council expressed concern about the prospect of waiting another year for a variety of reasons.
Mayor Roy Ludwig noted that he was worried if the City did decide to wait another year they run the risk of the costs being higher. There were also concerns raised about the safety of employees as the report indicated the drywall was failing and there was inadequate heating and ventilation.
"I'm not sitting around this council chamber and having the (government) come in and shut us down and then what do we do with our solid wastes," said Councillor Brian Johnson in reference to the health concerns.
"We need to be really watchful of costs around this council table but on things like this I am not going to penny pinch. There are things that the city runs on and needs. These are the things we that charge utility bills for, taxpayers pay money for."
The decision to start construction was eventually passed by a 4-2 margin with Smith and Hoffort voting against. Ludwig, Johnson and Councillors Dennis Moore and Lori Carr voted in favour of the motion.
Speaking after the meeting, Ludwig said the uncertainty of how much costs could rise was behind his decision to vote yes. He added if council had opted to wait, the earliest they could use the facility would have been the fall of 2015.
"If we wait until next year, go through the tenders, get the building in place, we will be another year. Not only that, then the machinery to go inside will probably have increased."
The bio-solids building is used to house the solid material that is removed during the treatment of Estevan's wastewater. Ludwig said the solids are compacted in the building and then taken to the City landfill where they use it as fertilizer.
"It ends up being good fertilizer."
