Town to decide on parkway bid

Town council will decide Monday night whether to accept a modified plan for the La Verendrye Parkway without docks and a gathering site on Victoria Avenue, or pay the extra $1.3 million for the original concept.
“There’s been a recommendation put forward to award a modified contract,” town CAO Bill Naturkach said Friday morning. “Unfortunately, the value of the contract is still a bit more than the amount previously requested by council to pare down to.”
Council will discuss the modified bid at its regular meeting Monday, which gets underway at 7:10 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
The lowest bid for the parkway, which is to include bike paths and a walkway from the Sorting Gap Marina to La Verendrye hospital, came in at $3.5 million—$1.3 million more than expected.
Council told administration to go back to the drawing board and shave a million from that bid.
Naturkach said the modified bid came in at under $2.7 million—but that there were some sacrifices to get that price.
“The biggest item is the La Verendrye landing, the infrastructure at the end of Victoria Avenue had to be adjusted.
“It was intended to be a gathering point with significant dockage opposite of the La Verendrye hospital,” he noted, adding that constructing the site was not included in the modified bid.
Docks intended for the end of Crowe Avenue and Butler Avenue also have been nixed in the new plan.
Naturkach said there’s still the possibility of adding these items down the road when the town can afford it.
“It is unfortunate we can’t afford everything,” he remarked. “[But] the integrity of the intent is still there.
“We will be continuing and concluding the riverbank path, building bike paths, and lighting from the Sorting Gap Marina to Victoria Avenue.”