KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
Local journalism initiative reporter
North Glengarry officials got a pleasant surprise when tenders on the Alexandria lagoon expansion were opened — all four bids were below estimates, and the lowest was about $10 million less than the provincial grant the municipality has received to fund the vital project.
Thomas Fuller Construction Co. Ltd., of Ottawa, has been awarded the contract for $18,782,374. The province had awarded a grant of $28.5 million to help finance the work that will include the construction of new lagoon cells, installation of a an aeration system, tertiary filtration and a new operations building. “The low tender came in well below the engineer’s estimate. This favourable result is attributed to the competitive market conditions reflected in the four bids received,” Public Works Director Tim Wright told council. The other tenders were Dalcon Constructors Ltd. $20,075,114, Doran Contractors Ltd. $20,793,000 and Louis W. Bray Construction Ltd. $21,018,680. Because the tenders came in under budget, the Township is now considering using the remaining capital to complete other projects. One of the first in mind is the Maxville Lagoon, which has started public consultations to seek input on three potential options. Those options include updating the facility to permit two discharges per year, one in the fall and one in the spring, significantly expanding the current system to almost double capacity at an expected cost of just under $12 million. A second option is to expand the lagoon, more than doubling the capacity for an estimated cost slightly under $15 million. The most expensive option at an assessed cost of $16 million would be to construct a totally new mechanical plant, abandoning the current lagoon and infrastructure.
Before Thomas Fuller Construction can begin work on the Alexandria lagoons, sludge removal from the current lagoons must be finished. The contract with Bishop Water Inc. has been extended for an additional $1.36 million to complete the removal of sludge that wasn’t removed before the freezing weather arrived. Bishop Water Inc. expects to complete the desludging within 60 days.
The Alexandria lagoon treatment facility is one of the Township’s most critical infrastructure assets, Wright noted. “The facility has been operating under capacity constraints, with annual average flows consistently exceeding the rated capacity of 3,237 m³/day. These limitations have contributed to environmental compliance challenges, including acute lethality exceedances, and have restricted new development in the Alexandria service area,” he reminded council.
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