Construction of the new Town Office and Library is now one step closer to the construction phase, according to a news release from Betty Osmond of the Town of Slave Lake.
January 10 was the closing date for bids and two were received from experienced Alberta construction firms. Chandos Construction came in with the low bid at $28.9 million and Dowland Contracting Ltd. bid $31 million, said the Chief administrative officer for the town.
Chandos is no stranger to Slave Lake, having built the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation in Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, as well as The Nest, the hostel that’s associated with the BCBC. Bob Deacon, as president of the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory (which operates the BCBC) dealt with Chandos throughout the process and says he found the company and its project manager to be very good to work with.
“They provided value for money,” he says. “They were on time and on budget on all things under their control. They were very reasonable to work with.” However, the town has some work to do before deciding to accept any bid.
Osmond indicated that the total project cost is within or very close to the parameters set by council. However a final assessment of revenues to offset the project is required to determine the net cost of the building before awarding the tender.
There are several steps to be covered off before the light turns green, Osmond says, “including a final review by all parties.”
The project includes a second courtroom, which was not in the original design. Its costs are included in the bids received, but the details of paying for it haven’t been settled with the province. Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee told The Leader last week she doesn’t think that would be a problem.
More troublesome, the mayor said, is the uncertainty regarding the provincial and federal contributions to the cost of the library portion of the complex.
Planning has gone ahead based on the hope of receiving a big chunk of that $2.6 million cost from the Canada Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CAMRIF).
“We know we’re getting something,” the mayor said. “Just not how much. It makes it very difficult.”
When the CAMRIF allocation will be announced is another unknown at the moment and last week the mayor was putting pressure on MP Brian Jean’s office, to let him know the urgency.
“We’ve got 40 days,” following the closure of the tender period, she explained, to award the contract. The CAMRIF factor is one of the details that need clearing up during that period. If the amount is less than what’s needed, it could change plans for the new library altogether.
“We might have to go to plan ‘B’,” said the mayor, not elaborating on what ‘B’ might be.
Mayor Pillay-Kinnee stressed the significance of the project to the community, saying, “This building will revitalize Main Street, offer a one-stop, central access for residents and solidify our place as a regional centre for provincial government services.”
Pillay-Kinnee also indicated that council’s initial reaction to the bid price is positive, though cautious.
“In Alberta’s current economic environment, many projects are not proceeding because the costs are coming in substantially over budget. Considerable effort was expended to limit and project accurate costs for this project,” the mayor said.
Construction of the proposed 88,748 square foot building will commence one week after the award of tender, which is slated for a public council meeting in February. Council’s goal is to have the building completed by the fall of 2009.
Approximately 77 per cent of the total project cost, including interest, will be funded by a 30-year lease arrangement with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation.

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