The foundation for future growth and development in the town's southwest will be laid next month with the beginning of a $1.5-million wastewater project.
A plastic 450-millimetre (mm) wastewater line will be installed from the south side of Bearberry Creek, across Country Road RV, to the south end of Greenwood Campground underneath Highway 27. The distance covers approximately 400 metres. The line replacement project is budgeted at $1,564,370.
“This is the second part of a project to upgrade the present 250-millimetre concrete wastewater line, which is causing a restriction of flow in this area and could limit the amount of future development in the southwest area if this line is not upgraded,” said Ron Baker, the town's director of operational services, in a report to council.
The project, as approved by council, includes four components and is Phase 2 of a project that was initiated about five years ago.
“We've got to get that line upgraded. It's very important,” he said, while looking over the area in recent weeks. He anticipates that the project will take roughly a month to complete.
The line will be drilled underneath the highway and won't inconvenience drivers. It is planned for after September long weekend so town officials won't have to close Greenwood Campground during its season.
“We're just going to shoot straight across the road and into Greenwood park. The highway won't even know we're there,” he said. “It will be really disrupting that (Greenwood park), but we're going to have it closed after September long. But to go through there it's quite the excavation.”
However, he said the parking lot at Country Road RV will be dug up, but added Nick Tytkanych, owner of the dealership, is good to work with.
“On the north side, the drill will be in the middle of Country Road's RV parking lot, so we've allowed Nick to move his trailers there over to a lot that we have next door, temporarily,” he explained.
The project, as it was approved earlier this year, also included the installation of a 450-mm stub wastewater line from Greenwood Campground to approximately in front of 111 Main Ave. E.
Another component of the project is to connect the south end of Centre Street S to the existing 300-mm line, upstream of the new line.
“At present, all the wastewater flows from the south end of Centre Street to Main Avenue E,” he said in the report.
“If there are any problems with plugging in this line or in front of the business from 101 to 111 Main Avenue E, the flow backs up and floods the basement of the apartments at the south end of Centre Street,” he explained.
“This short 200-millimetre line will loop the wastewater so there will be an alternative flow route if there are problems in the downtown area.”
The last component of the project is to extend a stormwater outfall, which will begin later this month.
“When you come across the bridge, towards Country Road RV, if you look over the edge, right on the edge of the bridge you'll see some orange snow fence there. That's where we're going to be digging,” he said, when referring to the outfall.
“The existing outfall is in need of an upgrade and extension to allow free flow of the stormwater from the downtown area,” he said, in the report.
The funds to pay for the project were approved in the town's 2013 budget. Of the cost, $397,000 is being paid for from the infrastructure reserve, $787,370 is coming from the Municipal Sustainability Initiative provincial grant and $380,000 is coming from the Gas Tax Fund federal grant.
In total, $1,564,370 was approved in the budget for the project, which includes the construction tender, as well as engineering, study costs and meeting fees.
Council approved the tender of $1,065,417.76 from Kowal Construction for the project during the council meeting on April 2.
