Bow Island town council has yet to pass its Capital Budget for the upcoming year, but mayor Gordon Reynolds is optimistic about that work on projects held over from last year will progress.
“We do have some carry-overs. Last year, we had a lot of challenges because of the extreme weather and spring run-off. We had extra snow removal costs and last year, there were a number of water main breaks,” said Reynolds.
“That resulted in higher contracted labour costs. Snow removal costs were triple what was budgeted for and we had a lot of frost bubbles, some of which were eligible under the Disaster Recovery program,” he added.
According to Reynolds, some of the streets that were hardest hit were already on the town's radar for maintenance.
“Going into spring, we will do our priority list. Last year, going into spring and summer, repairing took time and labour away from our projects. There was also a reluctance of contractors to bid because everybody was behind with their projects,” he said.
“What really affects more than anything is demand,” he added.
The School Crescent project remains at the top of the priority list for the town and Reynolds said it has gone to tender. With few bidders driving up the cost of the project, Reynolds is hopeful that delaying the tender process until now will reduce the overall price tag.
Reynolds said that when the province first introduced the MSI fund for municipalities in 2007, which provides funding for capital projects, the demand for contractors was substantial. The following year, when the economic crisis struck, many projects were shelved or postponed.
“There was a real slow down and suddenly, the industry had a lot of contractors available. Projects that saw their costs skyrocket were coming in at about half the cost,” he said.
For the second phase of the School Crescent project, which includes upgrades to the lift station, Reynolds acknowledged there is an extensive waiting list for government funding, but is hopeful it will make it up the list.
The town will also continue the ongoing task of maintaining, repairing and upgrading its streets, and replacing the aging pipe system at the same time.
“One of the challenges with our road repairs is that so much of the pipe under it needs to be replaced; some of it is 50 years old. Some of it is steel or clay and our goal is to get it all into PVC pipes,” said Reynolds.
While the town has contributed funds for upgrades at the local multiplex, Reynolds said they will address drainage issues that have been problematic.
“There are drainage issues at various parts of town that will be getting addressed,” he said.
Reynolds is also confident Bow Island will see more commercial development over the course of the year, with the town in discussions with a number of businesses.
“We do what we can to help them get going and we support our existing businesses,” he said.
Despite all the challenges the town faced last year, Reynolds said it was a successful year and is looking forward to seeing more success in 2012.
“A lot of the improvements and success we saw was because of the approaches taken by our staff. We were able to be proactive. We were trying to get things done, but were dealing with the aging infrastructure,” said Reynolds.
With the town's Centennial being celebrated this summer, Reynolds is confident that too, will be a success.
“We are certainly looking forward to a busy and successful Centennial that will recognize the efforts of those who built this community. Celebrate that and celebrate where we are now. They laid the groundwork and we carry it forward,” said Reynolds.