City of Powell River Council has approved paving improvements to Powell River Airport.
At the May 8 city council meeting, councillors reviewed a proposal to repave the parking lot, general aviation apron and Taxiway Bravo.
City engineering technologist Brett Osualdini said he was looking for a resolution from city council to give the award to BA Blacktop Ltd.
“The report in front of you outlines that there was one bid received by the city for the airport paving project,” said Osualdini. “The bid received was compliant and it will be on schedule for the grant deadline. We are looking for a council resolution to proceed with the award.”
According to a staff report, the bid from BA Blacktop came in at $729,888.26, plus GST. The bid is $30,111.74 below the project budget of $760,000. The staff report indicated that the project is fully funded by the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program, which is an external grant, so no city tax dollars will be required for the project.
The grant deadline for expenditures is June 30, and the contractor has provided a preliminary schedule showing the work being completed prior to the deadline, according to the staff report.
Councillor Cindy Elliott said she wanted to clarify that this was within the budget that the city received from the grant and not costing extra.
Osualdini said that was correct.
Councillor Earl Almeida said his math indicated that the bid price plus GST was $6,300 over the $760,000 budget for the project. Osualdini said the bid received was within budget, tax excluded.
Councillor Jim Palm said it was good to see this project coming forward.
“The pavement around our airport here is deplorable,” said Palm. “It’s a long time coming, so I am very happy to support this recommendation.
Council unanimously supported the awarding of the contract.
The staff report indicated that should the paving project not be awarded, the existing pavement in the three areas will continue to deteriorate and may eventually affect the safety of airport users. Additionally, if the project was not approved, it would lose the grant funding.
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