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City adjusts Hodgson Road water main repair budget to cover $60K cost overrun

The $60,000 will be above the $206,600 that council approved on May 24, 2022
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Hodgson Road continues to be closed due to a water-main break occurred on Saturday, May 14. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

A cost overrun of $60,000 for water main repair on Hodgson Road will be covered by borrowing $15,000 from the city’s general fund and redirecting $45,000 by deferring the approved works-yard transformer capital project.

“Once again we are paying the price with the slide area,” said Mayor Walt Cobb during the regular council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 16, before council approved the financial considerations. “Some of this work that had to be done whether here or at the river valley we are going to have to seriously look at our water and sewer funding account.”

The extra costs the city never expected is causing the problems, he added.

Manager of public works Pat Mahood said he was getting some extra contingencies in place by making the request.

“Anytime you are working underground with pipe you are always running into unknowns and unforeseens,” he said. “So we had to change our design a little bit which will include an air release at a high point in the line and a relocation of a fire hydrant which will cost extra money.”

The $60,000 will be above the $206,600 that council approved on May 24, 2022.

Breaking down the costs in his report to council, Mahood noted the hydrant plus its installment will be an estimated $18,375, the air release valve and installation will be $12,919 and the additional work for right of way on the new alignment, additional engineering and completed works to install eastern connection point for the drilled line away from the overhead power line will be $28,706.

Mahood also pointed out if the city’s planned water and sewer projects are completed the sewer fund will be spent by the end of 2023 and the water fund in 2024.

“They will be able to break even only after borrowing $2 million from the general fund or increasing the utility funds revenue by increasing parcel taxes and user fees,” he noted.

READ MORE:Hodgson Road land slippage likely cause of latest Williams Lake water main break: City



monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com

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Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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