ELORA – Approximately $2.8 million in improvements has been approved for the Elora Waste Facility after months of back and forth.
Approved at a county council meeting Thursday morning, county council previously voted to cancel a tender for the facility's improvements this summer after bids for the Elora Transfer Station came back as ranging from $3.4 to $4.2 million.
The contract will now be awarded to Mississauga-based Verly Construction Group Inc. for $2,890,507.61, excluding HST. The overall project cost is anticipated to be $3.97 million, including additional professional fees for contract administration and two weigh scales.
In an attempt to "realize potential cost savings," staff have modified the design by reducing the grade-separated bin wall height by approximately 0.6 metres, which also reduced earthworks quantities on-site.
The facility will also include a new scale house, household hazardous waste building, two new weigh scales, each excavation and grading, concrete flatwork, new retaining walls, water and sanitary service and associated site improvements.
Staff said $685,000 in tax-supported debt will be issued to cover the project as there aren't enough funds in the Solid Waste Services (SWS) Capital Reserve to accommodate the budget amendment and fund the projects in the SWS 10-year capital plan.
County councillors Mary Lloyd and Earl Campbell voted against the motion at the meeting, with Campbell saying delaying the project for minor savings was a "waste of effort."
County Coun. Shawn Watters, who also doubles as Centre Wellington's mayor, disagreed.
"There is a financial piece but there's also practicality...at the end of the day, sometimes the cost is what the cost is and we have to accommodate the service within our community," said Watters.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
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