Cache Creek Council has taken the first steps toward the repair of the Village’s battered infrastructure. At a Special Meeting held on June 29, Council voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Stantec Consulting Ltd. as contractors to engage Dawson Construction to rebuild Stage Road.
Two proposals were received for the extensive work that will need to be carried out: one from Stantec/Dawson, the other from McElhanney Consulting Services. Stantec/Dawson’s projected total cost for the work required was $372,100, while McElhanney’s was $864,000. Mayor John Ranta said that it was in the Village’s best financial interest to approve the Stantec/Dawson bid.
Councillor David Dubois asked if Council could see bids in more specific detail in future. “When I see large discrepancies in bids I wonder if something has been missed or overlooked that ends up costing the Village more after the fact,” he said, citing the surfacing of the new Cache Creek playground last year.
Mayor Ranta pointed out that none of the applications for response (such as for debris removal) have come to Council in the wake of May’s flooding. He also said that one of the possible reasons for the Stantec/Dawson bid being considerably lower was due to the fact that Stantec engineered, and Dawson built, the original road. He added that whereas McElhanney indicated the job would take 24 weeks, Stantec/Dawson projected that the work would be complete in 24 work days from the approval of the contract.
No work can begin on the rebuilding of Stage Road until Fortis Gas has relocated the exposed natural gas main line under the road. That work is scheduled to begin on July 6 and take three days.
The Village submitted an Expenditure Authorization Form to Emergency Management BC (EMBC) on June 24, asking for 100% funding of the Stantec/Dawson proposal. EMBC responded with a 100% response funding commitment of $229,050, with a not to exceed figure of $289,050. This would restore Stage Road to an “essential access” only state, meaning it would be two lanes of compacted gravel.
The remaining amount of $83,050 – which includes such items as asphalt, curb backfill, a two-metre chain link fence, the supply and installation of a streetlight and base, and hydroseeding – was determined to be recovery scope of work, and is eligible for funding of up to 80% through the Disaster Financial Assistance program, leaving the Village to find $16,610. Since the scope of the work is within the DFA guidelines of returning Stage Road to pre-flooding conditions, it is anticipated that the DFA funding request will be approved.
Barbara Roden