At its regular November 2023 meeting, Champlain Township council awarded the contract for rehabilitation of the L’Orignal standpipe (water tower) to Landmark Municipal Services.

The Burlington, Ontario company bid $1,341,000 for the job, which includes internal and external recoating of the standpipe, improvements to the ladder fall arrest system and adding a mixing system inside the standpipe.

A report from the township’s public works department includes the full value of $1,439,300 which includes the engineering, contract administration costs and non-refundable HST. The contract also includes a logo on the water tower, but after a brief discussion, council will revisit whether or not to include just ‘L’Orignal’ or whether to include Champlain Township’s logo.

The cost to emblazon a logo on the standpipe is $20,000 and at this point, council does not know whether it will cost an additional $20,000 to add a second logo, or name.

The second bid from BGL Contractors Corp was for $1,988,600.

The cost of the project was originally estimated at $1,850,000, based on EVB’s construction estimate and according to the public works report, the lowest bid that came in at $432,000 less than the estimate, was unexpected.

EVG Engineering has been retained to perform the Engineering Design and Construction Administrative work for the standpipe project. That work included preparing the Request for Tender documents.

Engineering costs for this project are: $74,300.

The project will be funded by $740,000 from a federal grant and with an additional $616,605 from a provincial grant which is part of the Green Stream funding initiative. L’Orignal water users will fund the remainder of the cost. Water and sewage systems are user-pay systems, financed by the users of the system, not all residents of a municipality.

Champlain Township Mayor Normand Riopel asked if there was any other work or repairs or replacements to equipment needed in light of the fact that extra funding had been received for this project.

Referring to the extra funds, Riopel asked if there was elsewhere that the funds could be used.

“Is there anything that we can do?” Riopel reiterated.

Champlain CAO Kevin Tessier replied that those working on the project, including the public works department, could check on the scope of work to see if there was a way to use some or all of the funds.

When complete, the water storage needs will be served for the next 30 years.