Part of sewer project gets nod while another will be retendered in Spring

By Ken Johnston
Editor

For the second time in a month Rainy River Town Council met last Thursday to deal with tenders for the town’s much needed sewer system upgrades.
Last month council rejected the tenders for the entire project saying they were too high and in a measure that they feel will save the taxpayers money, they opted to do part of the project themselves. They plan to dig the new sewer lagoon using the town crew on the job.
With that in mind they reinvited those that had picked up tender packages to rebid on the remainder of the project in two separate parts. However, last Thursday they rejected all the tenders submitted for the new sewage lift station project saying, “All tenders received were significantly higher than pre-tender estimates.”
Council did award the tender for welding of the force main and boring under the railway tracks and Highway 11 to Atkins Underground, a Manitoba based company. The cost of the tender is $33,282. Council said that they expect, weather permitting that this part of the project will be completed this fall.
As for the lift station, council plans to retender it in the spring.
Council has been dealing with an order from the Ministry of Environment for more than a decade that prohibits any new construction in Rainy River due to the fact that the existing sewer system is at maximum capacity; especially during heavy rains. Once they upgrade to the lift station, add a new line to the new lagoon and the new lagoon are in place council expects that the MoE order will be lifted and they can work at attracting development to the community.
In March of 2007 the town received a grant for $2.25 million to pay for 100% of the project. They had hoped to tender it that year but due to delays were unable to do so until this year. With construction season coming to an end, the project is now being pushed mostly to 2009.
Mayor Deb Ewald told the Record in March of 2007, “Without this project we have been dead in the water (for years). I hope this is the impetus for the town to start moving forward.”
When asked if the tenders are coming in higher now due to rising energy/fuel costs versus when the grant was received in 2007, Town Clerk Veldron Vogan said, “We recosted everything a month ago and still the tenders came in high.”