A change of scope and repairs due to flood damage have added $100,000 to a municipal project to rehabilitate the Cougar Creek culvert.
The original capital budget for the project was $230,000, funded through the province to do the upgrades on the culvert under Elk Run Boulevard.
Manager of engineering Andy Esarte told council last week the additional costs are the result of higher than anticipated bid pricing as well as additional work not identified until after the budget was approved.
“When the work was tendered it came in above budget and the scope had changed slightly,” he said. “As they got into the detailed design they felt additional work was warranted.”
Esarte added that the June 6 flood event resulted in armouring downstream of the culvert being washed away.
The project will begin in fall, he said, so it is complete before next spring.
Esarte told council administration has already begun to meet with the province regarding funding for emergency repairs and damage from the flood event.
He said the province requires floods that receive emergency funding to be a one in a hundred years event.
“In this instance, I believe that is the case,” he said. “It may not have been a one in 100 year rain event but, combined with higher levels of snowpack, I think it was exceptional and I think we are in good shape for that funding.”
However, the funding would only cover $40,000 of this particular project related to the flood damage.
Esarte said he expects to be back in front of council by the end of summer with another capital project related to the remainder of the flood damage.
However, Councillor Sean Krausert felt all work on Cougar Creek should be done at the same time.
“I would want it to be dealt with more economically as a whole package,” he said.
He put forward a failed motion to combine the projects and re-tender them.
