NORTH BATTLEFORD - The City of North Battleford has encountered obstacles in attempts to get the runway at Cameron McIntosh Airport repainted.
North Battleford Director of Operations Stewart Schafer explained the situation at Monday’s council meeting at Don Ross Centre.
It had been previously reported to council that Transport Canada had done a routine inspection of the runway at the airport and determined it needed to be repainted before the end of August 2023.
This was not something money had already been set aside for, as the City had not heard complaints from pilots or from the airport supervisor that the runway lines were wearing out.
However, the City did move ahead with seeking a contractor to do the work, and that’s when the issues really started. The city posted a request for quotes on SaskTenders on July 12, closing July 27. However, Schafer said the city received back no bids.
“We contacted Transport Canada and said we have a bit of a problem,” said Schafer. On Transport Canada’s recommendation, the City then proceeded to contact individual firms, including a couple they had used in thr past.
According to a city memo from Schafer dated Sept. 11, one firm, Lafrentze Road Marking, stated they did not currently have sufficient staffing to carry out the job. Schafer told council Monday they had said they were “too busy right now.”
A second firm, Marshall Lines 2014, came back with a quote for $38,550 plus taxes and the decision was made at council to go with them for the project.
But even in their case, they would not have been able to get the project done by the August 2023 date that Transport Canada had mandated. A third company, Virtue Construction, had contacted the City but did not provide a quote in time for Monday’s meeting.
Because this had not been included in the 2023 budget, administration had recommended diverting funds from two other capital projects: $30,000 from the Fairview Alley drainage system, and $12,530 from the Airport Maintenance Shop.
That plan encountered resistance from several councillors, who made known in no uncertain terms they wanted the flooding issues at the Fairview alley addressed right away. “We have to find a way to get this project done,” said Councillor Greg Lightfoot.
There was also council discussion about whether they could delay the airport work until next year when it could be included in the budget, but City Manager Randy Patrick shut the door on that notion. Patrick said the response from Transport Canada was likely to be “95 per cent no, because it’s safety issues they’re dealing with from their perspective.”
Instead of cancelling the Fairview Alley project, Patrick suggested cancelling the salt tent for this year. In the end, an amended motion passed at council which approved awarding the tender to Marshall Lines 2014 and proceeding with the airport runway repainting. The issue of how the project will be funded will come back to council at the next meeting to be sorted out.
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