On Monday, March 23, North Glengarry Council unanimously awarded a construction contract to Thomas Fuller Construction Co. Ltd. for the Alexandria Lagoon expansion project. The contract, valued at $18,782,374 plus applicable taxes, will cover construction costs for the expansion.
As one of the Township’s most critical infrastructure assets, the Alexandria Lagoon Treatment Facility has been operating under capacity constraints, with annual average flows consistently exceeding its rated capacity of 3,237 cubic metres per day. These limitations contributed to environmental compliance challenges and have restricted new development in the Alexandria service area.
The expansion project will address these long-standing issues through a comprehensive upgrade of the facility. The project includes the construction of new lagoon cells, installation of a Submerged Attached Growth Reactor (SAGR) aeration system, and associated civil, mechanical, electrical, and process work.
EVB Engineering undertook a comprehensive review and update to ensure the facility meets current regulatory requirements and incorporates cost-effective design improvements.
The Township received four submissions, with Thomas Fuller Construction Co. Ltd. submitting the successful bid. Other bids from Dalcon Constructors Ltd., Doran Contractors Ltd., and Louis W. Bray Construction Ltd. each exceeded $20 million.
North Glengarry Director of Public Works Timothy Wright recommended selecting Thomas Fuller, noting its bid was seven per cent lower than the next-lowest submission from Dalcon Constructors.
“This is excellent news for the Township. We’ve been working with the province, and we are significantly under budget,” Mayor Jamie MacDonald said. “But we’re also looking at that, within the same funding envelope, we may be able to complete the Maxville Lagoon project as well. It’s huge for us.”
“We’ve met with MPP Sarrazin, and he was very favourable to it. He spoke with the province, and our CAO has been in touch with staff. It looks like something that’s going to happen. Really big news on the development front for North Glengarry,” MacDonald said.
The low tender price came in well below the engineer’s estimate, reflecting competitive market conditions. The project is expected to help unlock new residential development and improve environmental compliance in the Alexandria area.
