The Ross Street parking lot is one of several locations targeted in the City of Salmon Arm’s annual paving program for 2024.
At its April 22 meeting, city council voted in support of awarding the 2024 paving program contract to Okanagan Aggregates Ltd. for $1,689,970 plus taxes.The Armstrong company’s bid was the lowest of three compliant submissions and a staff report to council noted Okanagan Aggregates has successfully completed the city’s paving program “over the last number of years.”
City engineering and public works director Rob Niewenhuizen said the lowest bid represents a 2.5 per cent increase over the cost of the 2023 program, with the winning bid coming in under budget. Staff was anticipating a minimal increase for 2024. In 2022, the city saw a 48 per cent increase in asphalt prices.
In addition to the Ross Street parking lot, other proposed paving locations include: 30th Street NE, from 11th to 20th Avenue NE; 11th Avenue NE, from 16th to 20th Street NE; 27th Street SE, from 4B Avenue SE to Okanagan; Okanagan Avenue SE, from Trans-Canada Highway to 3rd Street SE; Alexander Street NE, from TCH to 2nd Avenue NE; 30th Street SW, from 10th Avenue SW Frontage Road to 680 metres south; 30th Street SW, from Foothills Road SW to 700m north; 20th Avenue SE, from 20th to 30th Street SE; and 20th Street NE, from 12th to 2oth Avenue NE. Also included is paving of the 20th Street SW sanitary dump.
Though not the city’s responsibility, Coun. Sylvia Lindgren shared a question she gets from the public about four-laning a stretch of Highway 1 east of Buckerfield’s. Mayor Alan Harrison replied.
“Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is in consultation with the Adams Lake Band who own the properties on both sides of that road, and we’re not part of that negotiation,” said Harrison. “So I know that they’re progressing but we don’t really have any details on how it’s going.”
Regarding the city’s asphalt program, Couns. Kevin Flynn and Tim Lavery commented about it being an under-appreciated but significant piece of the city’s budget.
“I think it’s often misunderstood how much that costs and the reality is… staff, every year at budget time says we need to do more,” said Lavery. “Council takes that information in and allocates an amount. We’re looking at $1.7 million here and that’s a fair amount of money… equivalent to about 8 per cent of the taxes individual homeowners pay…”
Read more: Salmon Arm’s paving, pothole patching programs to begin in May
Read more: Salmon Arm ready with map and money for city’s paving program