Arthur culvert replacement runs $200,000 over budget

ARTHUR – Replacing a culvert in the northern part of Arthur will cost $200,000 more than council budgeted for. 

A new report from Wellington North senior project manager Tammy Stevenson recommends the township tender the culvert replacement on Wells Street East to Cedarwell Excavating Inc. for $399,997, including tax- creating a funding gap of $207,217 between the approved budget and tender cost. 

The total project cost is $558,216 including tax. 

To close the gap, staff recommends increasing the project budget and allocating the additional funds to the 2025 capital budget. 

Council previously allocated $317,000 for the Wells Street culvert replacement and $34,000 for the ditch clean out. 

Out of the nine tenders received for the project, staff said they recommended Cedarwell Excavating Inc. because it was the lowest qualified tender bid cost and met the request for tender requirements. The lowest bidder for the project was disqualified for not meeting tender requirements. 

The application will be discussed at a council meeting on Monday at 2 p.m. 

Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.