Council has awarded a quarter-million dollar contract to design a new municipal maintenance facility to a Burlington architectural firm.
Council approved on Nov. 25 a recommendation from public works director Brad McRoberts to award the contract to Chamberlain Architect Services for the company’s bid price of $257,290.
McRoberts told council the company scored the highest in the municipality’s proposal ratings system and also submitted the lowest bid.
“They had both highest-scoring technical proposal and lowest cost,” said McRoberts, adding, “there wasn’t any dissension” among members of the evaluation committee.
In his report to council, McRoberts noted the company has completed public works facilities in communities including Niagara-on-the-Lake, Hamilton, Kitchener, Milton, Newmarket, Ajax and Richmond Hill – and has done considerable work across Ontario, “mostly in smaller, outlying communities.”
McRoberts explained the tender price includes everything from designing the facility to reviewing and managing the tender process to hire a contractor. “The only other cost would be the actual capital cost of that contractor to come out and build what they design,” he said.
The timeline for the project is still to be determined and depends on what approach council elects for the construction process. But it is anticipated the facility will be completed by the end of September, 2015 at the latest.
While Wellington County has committed to relocating its Drayton maintenance garage to the same property at the township’s administration centre on Sideroad 16, McRoberts said the county is looking at 2016 for its construction project.
He also noted there will be opportunity to share facilities like wastewater, fire suppression and truck wash bays.
“We’ve had preliminary discussions with county staff and there will be lots of opportunity for us to work very closely with the county,” said McRoberts.
The new Mapleton shop will replace a facility on the same property that burned down in November of 2013.
