Inflation bites into CBS streets and sidewalks budget

By Craig Westcott / June 29, 2023

CBS council has had to rejig and shave down its ambitions for street upgrading and sidewalk construction this summer, because of rising construction costs.

Ward 4 councillor Melissa Hardy, who chairs the Town’s public works committee, said when the tender closed last month on the list of streets identified for work all the bids came in significantly over budget. As a result, council had to cancel the tender and issue a new one with a shorter list of streets. 

“With the increasing construction costs, it’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality we are in right now,” Hardy said. “We reviewed all the options and agreed to cancel the original tender and change the project work scope to align with the available project funds. It’s unforeseen circumstances, but it’s expected the paving and sidewalk work will be completed in 2023. We’re certainly striving to get that (done).”

Mayor Darrin Bent agreed it’s unfortunate.

“We’ve only got so much money to spend,” he said. “Unfortunately, with the economy, and it’s no fault of the bidders because they’re feeling it as well as we do, they all came back (with bids that were) more than we had. So, we had to go back and cut back on some of the work that we wanted to do this year. It doesn’t mean it’s cancelled; it just means it’s pushed off to probably another year. But we are doing the sidewalk work and we are doing, I guess, a few less streets, to make it work… Hopefully we can get that work started as soon as we possibly can.”