HELMCKEN SIDEWALK EAGLE CREEK TO ASPIRE PROJECT UPDATE

HELMCKEN SIDEWALK EAGLE CREEK TO ASPIRE PROJECT UPDATE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Council not award the “Curb and Sidewalk Replacement – Helmcken-Eagle Creek Village to Burnside Road West” Project (C-054) to Unitii Corporation in the amount of $105,000, net of GST;

AND THAT this project be removed from the 2024-2028 Five-Year Financial Plan.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

Option #2: THAT Council award the Helmcken Sidewalk Upgrades – Eagle Creek to Aspire to Unitii Corporation in the amount up to $105,000 net of GST and that the construction be pre-approved in the budget for construction in 2025.

Option #3: THAT Council direct staff to undergo the public bid process in accordance with the Purchasing Policy 1600-021 and that the construction be pre-approved in the budget for construction in 2025.

Staff do not recommend this option as doing so will likely result in higher project costs and additional coordination work being required.

PURPOSE:

To seek Council direction on the construction phase of the Helmcken Sidewalk Eagle Creek to Aspire project (Project C-054 of the 2024-2028 Financial Plan, attached).

BACKGROUND:

The timing of this project is planned to be simultaneous and in partnership with the Aspire development (3 Helmcken Road) – doing so would reduce construction disruptions to residents and commuters while lowering overall construction costs.

The Aspire development’s General Contractor, Unitii Corporation, has quoted a price of $94,757.85 (net of GST) to complete this project. The works would be scheduled with Aspire’s own frontage construction work.

DISCUSSION:

In an effort to receive good value for tax dollars and considering significant Casino Revenue usage for capital projects over the next five years, staff recommend cancelling this project to focus efforts on priorities elsewhere within the Town (that do not currently have sidewalks or have more substandard pedestrian infrastructure). This recommendation is put forward by staff for the following reasons:

• There already exists a 1.5m wide separated concrete sidewalk, in good condition, within the project area. While the sidewalk upgrades would increase the sidewalk width by 0.3m to 1.8m (current bylaw), the separation distance of the sidewalk to the roadway will remain the same. There is also evidence of 1.5m sidewalks elsewhere within the Town;
• ICBC crash data identifies one pedestrian related incident over the last five years. More focus can be applied to capital projects with higher conflict areas and other roadways that completely lack sidewalks, including sidewalks on Helmcken Road across the street from this project;
• No recent complaints or comments from nearby residents were found regarding the existing sidewalk;
• The Town would replace asphalt curb only on a case-by-case basis. Replacement ‘as and when’ could be a cost-effective asset replacement approach (the curb has lasted for 20 years).

Figure 1: Old versus new, looking north from Eagle Creek Village (Google Streetview, Nov. 2022, Retrieved Mar. 11, 2025)

Alternatively, should Council wish to proceed with the project, staff recommend a direct award to Unitii Corporation as it is considered best value for money spent (Purchasing Policy 1600-021 Sections 2.2 and 2.6). Staff recommend applying a 10% contingency amount to the direct construction costs, thus totalling $105,000 net of GST. This amount is well within the project budget.

ANALYSIS:

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is: Inform

TIME CRITICAL:

Frontage improvements for the Aspire development may occur during the spring 2025. It is important for Council to provide direction to staff prior to commencement of the works for contractual purposes (or to notify the developer not to mobilize for project C-054).

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY:

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Project Summary C-054 (2024-2028 Financial Plan)