KENILWORTH – One could say Arthur is flush with excitement following Wellington North’s approval of the tender to upgrade the village’s wastewater treatment plant.
On May 27, council awarded the tender to Wellington Construction Contractors Inc. at a price of $6,510,000 plus applicable taxes.
The 2019 budget had included $8.5 million for the first phase of the treatment plant upgrades.
Wellington North has secured a $5 million loan through the Green Municipal Fund as well as a $750,000 grant through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
The balance will be funded through existing reserves and reserve funds associated with wastewater.
Wellington Construction’s bid was $1.4 million below the second lowest bid. The high bid was $8.2 million.
Councillors appreciated that the successful bid was both under budget and submitted by a local contractor.
“It is a great step. This is something people want to hear,” said councillor Steve McCabe.
He then asked, “When is it going to be done?”
CAO Mike Givens responded, “Eighteen months after they start.”
Wellington North Mayor Andy Lennox added “it is nice to see it is under the proposed budget too and that it’s a local contractor. We can’t get much better than that.”
Asked if there was a potential start date, Givens said a negotiated date would be part of the signed contract.
“All indications are that Wellington Construction is waiting to get at the job,” he said, adding he hopes the job will start soon.
