Tofino signed two big contracts last week that will see Main Street beautified and the Barr’s Mountain reservoir replaced.
Nanaimo-based Bowerman Excavating Limited won the contract to complete the second phase of Tofino’s Main Street Streetscape Improvements project, spanning from Wharf Street to Third Street.
The district received two bids for the work, with Bowerman’s $364,386 bid edging out Hazelwood Construction Services Limited’s $372,323 bid, according to a report submitted to council by CAO Bob MacPherson.
“Bowerman Excavating Limited has demonstrated their experience and capacity to perform this work and has worked in Tofino in the past, most notably on the 2013 Fourth Street and Campbell Street downtown vitalization project and the 2016 Main Street Phase 1 project,” MacPherson wrote.
The work is being paid for with Resort Municipality Initiative Funding, Federal Gas Tax money and a grant from the Island Coastal Economic Trust, according to MacPherson’s report, which suggests construction could begin as early as March 1 and is expected to be completed by May 26.
“The design aims to create a ‘quick win’ for Main Street through the development of pedestrian walkways, redistributed parking, improve public spaces and landscaping,” MacPherson wrote.
While narrowly missing out on the Main Street contract, Hazelwood, also based in Nanaimo, took the bigger prize, receiving a $821,452 contract for Tofino’s Barrs Mountain Reservoir Replacement project.
“The project will deliver additional fire volume capacity for the downtown sector,” MacPherson wrote adding the project would more than double the reservoir’s storage capacity.
The reservoir replacement project was announced in 2015 and has a budget of $1.2 million with the federal government, provincial government and Tofino each paying $388,000.