Two important capital projects are moving ahead despite the potential financial impacts Ponoka County may face later this year.
At its July 14 meeting, council approved nearly $245,000 to replace the continually leaking roof at the county office along with the purchase of a new rescue engine to serve the Rimbey area at a cost of $517,000.
Peter Hall, director of operations outlined the roofing project is the county’s best bet at getting an excellent job done and saving some funds.
“We had three quotes and have concluded that RT Weatherproofing and Decking based out of Bentley is the best option,” Hall said.
“While RT is not ARCA (Alberta Roofing Contractors Association) approved, according to the references we received, they are the best in central Alberta and people were extremely satisfied with their work.
“A full-blown ARCA warrantied project that is monitored with construction managed by a third party would cost upwards of $300,000. In speaking with RT, their quote is in line with another company’s quote and through the process we found that a consultant to do monitoring and inspections would cost about $500 on a day rate. They are local, well-known, have been around since 2005 and had better references than the other two quotes.”
Hall added a consultant feels this will work and that they would come down to go through the design, followed by weekly visits to see if everything is going as planned. In addition, the price includes an extended warranty through the manufacturer of the roofing materials.
“There is one beam that runs the length of the portion between the shop and the office, though we are confident and have no doubt that RT will solve that,” he said.
New truck
At their July 14 meeting, council approved a new rescue engine for its West District fire department that replaces a 1992 engine, which is presently serving as the department’s second engine.
The new apparatus is due to be delivered sometime in the fall of 2021.
The initial tender saw three companies bid with prices ranging from $567,000 to $645,000 — far above the $525,000 approved in the 2020 capital budget.
Hall explained the county shortlisted it to two, then requested those companies to sharpen their pencils, with Fort Garry being chosen.
“In the end, this truck meets the needs of the department and is to a level that is compatible with what was initially needed. By keeping in line with the budget, that should allow us to keep our equipment up-to-date,” Hall said.
The new rescue engine will have an International cab and chassis with an enclosed mid-ship pump with the pump panel on the side plus seating for four additional firefighters.
It will include an 800-gallon water tank, a 25-gallon foam tank, a PTO-driven 1,050 gallons-per-minute pump rated at 150 pounds per square inch, a booster reel hose, pull out and swing out tool boards, a power overhead ladder rack, two speedlay removable hose beds, SCBA bottle storage compartments, a floor dry hopper and a dividable hose bed on the top.
County regional fire chief Dennis Jones noted it will cost $200,000 this year for the deposit and purchase of the chassis, with the balance due after a final inspection and delivery.
CAO Charlie Cutforth explained the county has current reserves of $350,000 for the truck, which will easily cover this year’s expense, and has no concern about having the balance in time for delivery.
“It is purely a cash flow situation right now,” Cutforth said.
“This will get us to the Dec. 31 tax deadline and maybe things will look better then. We could hold off, but frankly we will need it either next year or the year after and prices are not likely to get better.”
