By Laurie Watt

While Barrie staff looked for meager savings – literally in the tens of thousands of dollars in this year’s operating budget – other city staff urged councillors to approve a $110-million project.

Projected initially to cost $99.7 million, the new surface water treatment plant is now expected to come in $10 million over budget. And that’s before the city debentures the new plant – and interest adds even more to the price tag.

“This is a monstrous project, with financing totalling $150 million. Clearly, the largest city undertaking in the next few years, and I’m hoping, ever,” said Ward 6 Coun. Michael Prowse.

“It’s $10 million over what we projected it to be. The market has simply driven up the price and the requirements, the size of the plant have changed. Why was the tender off $10 million?”

A high demand for contractors prompted some companies to not bid for the project, city staff said.

Bids were all substantially over budget, including one at $118.5 million.

To be built on Big Bay Point Road, the new plant will take water from Kempenfelt Bay and treat it to drinking water standards. Two weeks ago, engineering staff urged council to proceed with awarding the tender, the lowest one being $109.7 million, while the engineer’s estimate rang in at $99.7 million.

The project is both expensive and expansive. It includes long intake pipes that were built at the Tiffin boat launch last summer, then hauled out into the deep waters of the bay. The project also includes a low-lift pumping station, which will pump water from the bay uphill to the state-of-the-art membrane filtration treatment plant. The building also will provide office space for the city’s water operations branch and feature a covered garage for water department vehicles.

Prowse said the city should look at options to reduce public demand for water, just as the city increased waste diversion to extend the life of its Sandy Hollow landfill site.

“On this, we have the option of sticking a straw in the lake. To me, this is the least-green option we could have looked into,” he said.

The councillor then criticized city staff for attempting to push the report through.

“Two weeks ago, we were presented with a staff report that had to be passed almost right away, to get the building started, to get it done in time, to get the water pumping in time. I’m a little concerned it came to us with a red flag on it and it had to be passed right away,” he added.

Ward 7 Coun. John Brassard supported Prowse’s criticism of the project, which council is now asking staff to trim back with the contractor.

“The soap box Coun. Prowse stood on needed to be stood on. We’re ending up on a path we can’t turn back,” he said, suggesting perhaps the city could have looked at a public-private partnership, as is often the case with subdivision sewage treatment plants.