Maycon Construction was awarded the contract to build an expanded stormwater detention pond at Whitetower Park at a special Gibsons council meeting on May 23.
The project will reclaim wetland for storage of runoff water, help protect approximately two kilometres of Charman Creek’s natural watercourse and habitats and help manage flood risk to downstream infrastructure and properties.
A staff report on the meeting agenda detailed that a BC Heritage Branch archaeological permit for the project was received May 18, with an archaeological contractor slated to complete site works in the coming weeks. In September 2021, the town halted work at that location until a full archaeological assessment could be conducted after "historically significant archaeological material" was discovered.
Up to a 29 per cent budget contingency provided
Project construction is expected to take approximately three months. While the firm bid $1.467 million (plus GST), council approved an amount of up to $1.9 million. That amount included a 29 per cent contingency, to cover “potential for unexpected costs due to contaminated soils, excess soils which are unsuitable for reuse on site, and other unanticipated subsurface conditions,” according to the staff report.
Project funding of $1.531 million was included in the town's 2023 budget. Council authorized that be increased by up to $520,000, with those dollars coming from the $2.314 million it received earlier this year from the province’s Growing Communities Fund. In addition to funding this project, council has committed $950,000 of that money to replace the town’s wastewater treatment plant centrifuge.
At the meeting, staff noted that the stormwater pond project has also been approved for a $854,500 grant from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. As that program does not allow projects to be funded by multiple grants, they will be reaching out their counterparts with that program to ensure the Growing Communities money can be used for the project. If that is not allowed, staff will seek further council direction.
