Weyburn city council approved a bid from Regina firm Pinchin Ltd. to do a full assessment of all city properties for the presence of asbestos.
The city had set a budget of $50,000, and the winning bid was for $42,845, which was the second-lowest bid of the three accepted in the tender process.
The assessment of city properties is a requirement under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety regulations, and is a specialized procedure that must be completed by trained professionals who are educated in identifying hazardous materials and handling.
The City had received four proposals, but one was disqualified as it did not provide a complete cost estimate. Of the three proposals, there were differences in sample prices and in detailing extra costs.
The winning bid price includes 544 samples at a cost of $12.50 per sample, while the lower bid submitted proposed 275 samples at a cost of $70 per sample.
“Part of the process of identification is categorizing everything so we’re prepared if we need to repair or make additions to any of our facilities,” said Andrew Crowe, director of leisure services.
Asked if there will be a cost provided to the city for dealing with any asbestos found, he replied that the proposal is to identify any locations that have asbestos, and to rate the level of hazard to the employees and the public in each of these facilities.
“We’ll have to go back afterward to sort that out,” said Crowe.
Coun. Jeff Chessall asked if the city might be able to add in a request for cost estimates on what it would cost the city to deal with the removal of any asbestos found in a city facility.
“That’s something we could request of them. We have around 50 owned facilities. It’s very expensive to deal with, and the first step is categorizing where it is,” said Crowe, adding this assessment was identified by the city’s new safety officer as something the city needs to have done.
