A significant decision will have to be made by Smiths Falls council during 2024 budget deliberations.
Public Works and Utilities Director Paul McMunn said the original assessment from four years ago to purchase a new water tower and upgrade the existing 12” watermain to 16” totaled $7.8 million.
But the latest assessment prices the work at $24.5 million, and that doesn’t include the cost to decommission and remove the existing tower.
Staff chalked the water tower replacement cost increase from $6 million to nearly $10 million to inflation.
The spike for the watermain replacement from $1.8 million to $14.7 million follows the discovery of rocks found along the generally shallow route.
Because of this, staff is recommending a full reconstruction, which of course creates additional costs, as Josh Eamon, the President of EVB Engineering, who are in charge of the detailed design of the project, explains.
McMunn’s opinion is that council should plan for no more provincial funding for the work, outside of the $3.6 million already secured from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure
Program (ICIP).
Council has until 2025 to spend the ICIP funding before losing it.
They accepted the report for information as they gear up for an important discussion and decision for the budget.
Story by Grant Deme