Centre Wellington’s council and committee of the whole approved a number of tenders and calls for bids on Monday that will see a large amount of work in the community before the fall.
In September, there will be new seating at the Fergus Grand Theatre, part of the $600,000 worth of refurbishing there this year.
The township’s tender award committee recommended Irwin Seating Company, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, be given the job of removing, disposing of and replacing 264 theatre seats with new ones. The bid included the option of nine removable seats consisting of three rows of three seats to be located at the rear floor seating area, adjacent to the west wall.
The removal of the current seats was to start on July 5. The new seats are to be installed between Aug. 23 and Sept. 16. Interior painting is planned for July 19 to Aug. 20.
The total cost is $75,705, minus HST of $8,709, for a grand total of $66,995.
Parks and Recreation Director Andy Goldie was pleased the tender came in under budget. He said he had numerous calls from people pleased at the prospect of better seating, and he noted a Cultural Spaces grant is covering half the cost of all the theatre work.
Councillor Bob Foster asked if there was only one bidder.
Goldie said that was the case, and explained there are companies in Canada who provide seating for schools, but only American companies make theatre seating. He added several companies picked up tender applications, but only one submitted a bid.
Goldie also said some areas were under budget, but grant officials are asking that all the grant money be spent.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj said there is a warranty on the seats that lasts for five years. The current seats were in such poor conditions that Goldie said some were reaching the point where they could not be sold.
Council approved the tender unanimously. Councillor Ron Hallman was absent.
Power generator
Council in its committee of the whole also approved the purchase of a power generator for the municipal office.
Director of Information and Technology Services David Boyle, along with Director of Public Works Ken Elder, and Treasurer Wes Snarr recommended staff be authorized to call tenders for a emergency power generation system at an estimated cost of $60,000.
They reported the municipality is required under the provincial Clean Water Act to maintain detailed records for the Ministry of Environment for water quality management. Failure to do so can result in fines.
The report said the most widely accepted and cost effective method of doing that is SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, and the township is now in the process of upgrading its system.
The report said when regular power is unavailable, immediate alternate power must start to maintain records. The entire system, Boyle said, can be monitored from municipal headquarters, and the generator would be able to power the entire building, which is the township operations centre during emergencies.
Boyle added the last county wide emergency exercise demonstrated there is a need to support the water monitoring systems. Boyle said the generator “supports everything that would normally run off the grid” at the municipal office.
Councillor Shawn Watters pointed out a number of years ago gasoline was an issue during a major power outage. Boyle and Elder agreed, and Elder said he would prefer a generator run on natural gas.
Councillor Walt Visser said the purchase of a generator is in the emergency plan. Boyle said in other years, to keep costs down, council had not purchased one, but now it must.
Council was unanimous in agreeing to the tender call.
Ross-Zuj noted storms lately have become more severe, and “This is a good move.”
Tower Street
Council approved a bid to reconstruct Tower Street South in Fergus at a total cost of $603,591 and the excess of the estimate project cost over budget, $98,273, be funded from the OLG slots fund and a transfer from the water works reserve.
Council had approved a capital budget of $592,800.
Council was unanimous in approving the project, which will include earth excavation, 3,700 tonnes of granular material, 134.5 metres of storm sewers, 93 metres of watermain, ten maintenance holes and catch basins, 480 metres of concrete curb and gutter, 425 metres of sidewalk, 1,950 tones of hot mix asphalt and 150 metres of cold planing.
The winning bidder was Steed and Evans Ltd., of St. Clements.
Pilkington project
Council also approved a new bridge at Carrol Creek on Middlebrook road in old Pilkington.
That will require excavation of 3,200 cubic metres of earth, 11,000 tonnes of granular materials, 3,000 square metres of asphalt pulverization, and 800 tonnes of hot mix asphalt.
County received six bids on the project, and Concrete USL, Ltd., of Bolton, was the low bid at $1.37-million or $237,411 lower than the township estimate. Council approved the contractor unanimously.
Extra work needed
Councillor Fred Morris said a number of people have been asking him why there appears to be more construction for the Metcalfe and McNab area in Elora. Elder explained council originally planned work just partly up High Street from Water Street to McNab, but he felt more should have been done to replace water mains.
Then, he said, in December, there was a major break of a water line, so he told council in budget discussions this year that work should be done because the company was already scheduled to return and complete work started last year.
“We looked at it, and added it to the capital” projects for 2010, Elder said.
