Gibsons council and staff achieved another milestone on Friday morning breaking ground on the town's new wastewater treatment plant.
Mayor Barry Janyk, director of municipal operations Bryan Shoji and Vel Anderson, representing Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Harold Long, with shovels in hand, turned over the first piece of sod signalling the start of construction.
"This is a great day for the town of Gibsons," Janyk told Coast Reporter after the ceremony. "It has taken the hard work of a lot of people during a 20-year period to get us to this point. Personally, I'm very excited to be at this point. Council has totally been on board from day one. It's been a struggle at times, but at the end of the day, we'll be back here a year from now to cut the ribbon on a new facility that the whole community can be proud of."
Construction on the project has already started with the anticipated completion date a year from now.
Maple Reinders Inc. has been awarded the construction contract in the amount of $3,661,000 plus GST bringing the final total to $3,917,270.
The upgrades at the plant are necessary to replace failing equipment and structures, improve discharge water quality, increase capacity to accommodate future growth and improve odour control measures.
It's anticipated that the upgraded treatment plant will meet the needs of the community for the next 30 years. The upgraded wastewater treatment plant will also improve operating efficiency, enhance safety and security and provide emergency back-up provisions.
