THUNDER BAY — City administration is recommending the contract for repairs to the Boulevard Lake Dam be awarded to the lowest bidder.
A numbered company operating as Concrete Walls bid about $7.3 million for the job, more than $5 million lower than the closest bidder.
The highest bid was $17 million.
About 40 per cent of the cost will be covered by a federal grant through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
Administration is also recommending that consulting engineering services for the project be single-sourced to JML Engineering at a cost of approximately $1.3 million.
A report prepared for city council states that Concrete Walls has various heavy civil construction experience, as well as experience managing and supervising work for the city under different companies.
JML Engineering has worked on the Boulevard Lake Dam project since its inception in 2008.
The work, expected to start this spring, will include extensive repairs to the dam, widening of the walkway, and lighting improvements.
It will take two years to complete, and will require the closure of the public beach as well as the walkway across the dam.
Clarification: This story has been updated to indicate the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptatiion Fund will cover 40 % of the cost of the project.
