Sechelt council has approved another extension of the district’s biosolids contract with Salish Soils.
The contract was first extended last summer, and a staff report presented at the Feb. 7 council meeting requested a further extension to Dec. 31, 2018.
“Both parties wish to extend the term for a further year to allow additional time for discussions to take place towards developing a long-term plan to treat and dispose of biosolids,” the report said.
Mayor Bruce Milne said he would support the extension, as long as negotiations are moving forward.
“Can you confirm there are serious talks going forward and this won’t be extended again, and again, and again?” he asked staff.
Director of engineering and operations Darwyn Kutney said negotiations continue, with the Town of Gibsons and shíshálh Nation also involved, and the goal is to have an agreement in place by the end of July.
Under the extension, the district will continue to pay Salish Soils $160 per metric tonne for processing biosolids. The company’s sub-lease on the Dusty Road lot where the processing takes place is also being extended. Salish Soils pays $750 a month to the district under that lease.
Biosolids are the material left over from the sewage treatment process at Sechelt’s Water Resource Centre, and proper composting can make it usable as fertilizer.
