ESTEVAN - Estevan city council awarded the tender for a large capital project during the April 7 meeting.
Mid-City Plumbing and heating received the boiler contract for city hall and the Estevan Leisure Centre for a total of $492,765 plus tax.
Speaking to council, facilities manager Chris Dunne said in terms of equipment, the two tenders were very similar, but Mid-City's was approximately $100,000 lower than the other quote. Also, Mid-City's bid came in about $60,000 below the budget figure of $550,000.
In his report to council, Dunne noted the current units for the leisure centre are two 4 million BTU fine-tube boilers installed when the building was constructed in the early 90s. The boilers provide radiant heat for the building and heat the domestic water, pool and hot tub. They will be replaced with four condensing boilers, and the piping and exhaust will be altered to fit the new boilers.
The current boilers at city hall were installed in 1983, replacing the old steam boilers that were installed when the building was constructed in the 1960s. The current boilers are now more than 40 years old and past their operational life expectancy.
This project would involve the removal of and installation of the new boilers, and include alterations to the boiler lines and chimney stacks to accommodate the new boilers.
Both projects will take approximately four weeks, and would be carried out in July and August.
When asked by Coun. Kirsten Walliser if Mid-City would be able to adhere to the timelines for both the leisure centre and city hall, Dunne said they would.
"Both companies were very up front in needing … eight weeks for equipment supply," Dunne said.
After the tender was approved, Coun. Brian Johnson brought the issue of asbestos forward. He encouraged the contractor and city staff to investigate piping to ensure they are following guidelines for asbestos with the project.
Dunne said that was part of the bid requirements to remove a plug sample from the installation to have it tested prior to deconstruction.
