After two large water main breaks within 24 hours on Dufferin Street in Millbrook last month, Council asked the Public Works department to review the current schedule for watermain replacement to see if changes in this capital expenditure schedule should be considered.
Watermains in Millbrook were installed under a provincial program in 1975, making them 50 years old. This is equal to the life expectancy of these pipes. They were constructed with thin walled PVC material, which was the standard at the time, but new materials used today are considerably stronger. The current replacement schedule for watermains extends over ten years. Council was looking to see if a shorter horizon was warranted in order to avoid more break-downs which are inconvenient and expensive.
Director of Public Works Wayne Hancock presented are port in October proposing that the replacement schedule be expedited, with all water-mains replaced in five years rather than ten because of their condition. The report outlined each watermain location, the year of the proposed replacement and the estimated cost of these projects, with a 20% contingency allowance for engineering and unforeseen expenses. The projected costs range from a low of $735K in 2029 to a peak expenditure of$1.33K in 2028. Also included in the report was a road restoration and resurfacing pro-gram that would coincide with the watermain repairs, as road resurfacing must follow water-main replacement. The contingency for this part of the project was set at 10% as this type of work is associated with fewer unseen risks. These road projects range from a low of $684K in 2029 to a peak expenditure of$728K in 2026. The watermain replacement expenditures are funded through the water user rates while road resurfacing expenses are funded through the regular capital budget decisions.
Obviously these proposals will have a significant impact on the municipality’s capital budget over the next five years. The report also recommended initiating a bidding process on a tender for these works sooner than later, and beginning the engineering and design with their consultant of record for current municipal projects. Getting this started now would mean that the tendering process could begin in January. Bundling all projects together in a five year contract was also suggested, to make the tender more appealing to contractors. The Request for Proposal would require labour and material costs with inflationary clauses to capture the potential cost for all of the work. The contract would include effective exit clauses should any issues arise in the cost and/or delivery of the work.
Council agreed with all of the recommendations. The first streets on the schedule are Cavan and Frederick Streets and a section of Anne Street connecting those streets with work commencing next spring. The complete report is available on the October 20th Council agenda on the township website atwww.cavan-monaghan.net.