ESTEVAN - Estevan city council approved a number of changes in the downtown revitalization project Monday night to keep it within the budgeted amount.
City manager Jeff Ward filed a report with council, noting all tenders have been received on the project, which is happening in the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Fourth Street. Some costs came in higher than expected.
"City council and administration are reviewing scope reductions to keep the project near budget," Ward wrote.
To ensure continued positive cash flow for the city, Associated Engineering proposed the following items be removed from the initial design: banner lighting for $470,000, a four-way stop instead of traffic lights at the intersection with 12th Avenue for $343,000; east and west electrical kiosks worth $115,000; deferring plants for planters for $250,000; and deferring benches, trash bins, bike racks and tables for $440,000.
"After removing the above items, the budget overage for the project before taxes and engineering is approximately $750,000," said Ward.
He added city administration believes there might be some funding under a provincial highway program that may be applicable to assist with the final lift of asphalt, which will be occurring in 2025.
Coun. Rebecca Foord stressed the banner lighting does not take out any of the street lights; it was to be mounted to the poles that hold the banners in place. She also urged the city's traffic safety committee to keep an eye on the intersection of Fourth Street and 12th Avenue to see how it works out with a four-way stop, and to move if a traffic light is needed.
"The electrical will be there, so we can add these lights in later. It doesn't add additional costs to continue to have the electrical required in those areas," replied Ward.
Coun. Shelly Veroba added the city could apply for grants through SGI for funding. As for some of the items that were tabled, such as the benches, trash bins and planters, she pointed out there are different businesses and organizations who have sponsored those in the past.
Council approved Ward's recommendations to borrow an additional $500,000 for the project, apply to the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure for surfacing funding; and encourage the incoming council to allocate a portion of the 2025 Canadian Community Builds Fund (formerly the gas tax fund) to cover some of the engineering costs.
"This type of project generally would fall in line with what this funding is for," said Ward.
Council also approved an amendment to the city's borrowing bylaw to borrow the $500,000, bringing the borrowing for this year up to $2.6 million. It means the city's long-term debt will increase by $500,000 in 2024, but Ward said it will remain below the $13 million mark.
Coun. Tony Sernick asked if the city should borrow a total of $3 million this year instead of the $2.6 million as a contingency, but council opted for the $2.6 million figure.
Second and third readings are needed at a future meeting before it is approved. The next scheduled meeting is slated for Sept. 9.
The intersection of 13th Avenue and Fourth Street is now closed as part of the project. This closure is estimated for a period of four-to-six weeks in order to allow crews to gain access to work on the next phase of the underground infrastructure.
A message from ASL Paving posted on the city's website through the downtown revitalization page states that the weather has been favourable as of late, and the project has been progressing steadily.
Concrete work in the 1100-block of Fourth Street is slated to start the week of Aug. 19, landscape and topsoil work is scheduled for the week of Aug. 26, and undergrounds are to be finished by Sept. 16.
ASL said it aims to reopen 11th Avenue and Fourth Street as soon as it is safe to allow for the north-south traffic flow.
