The City of Terrace is dipping into a special account to cover the cost overrun of its multi-use pathway project running parallel to Lakelse Ave. from Apsley St. to the Old Skeena Bridge.
Originally set at $921,352 thanks to a provincial grant, the cost is now just over $1 million and that requires an additional $94,000, council heard at its June 26 meeting.
At first, the city asked for bids on the entire project, but when none were received last year the project was divided into smaller parts in hopes that would attract interest.
That did work but the result was bids for work this year coming in at higher prices than anticipated, Terrace Engineering and Public Works Director Ben Reinbolt indicated in a city memo.
“Some significant contributors were the price of asphalt, landscaping and staff time to manage a number of contractors,” he wrote.
Last year’s work featured construction of the base of the three-metre wide pathway so that it could be paved this year.
Finishing touches this year include paver stones, planters, landscaping and the installation of a large wooden carving on a metal and wood base within a landscaped area on the corner of Apsley and Lakelse. It’s meant to be a welcoming feature for the pathway which is officially being called the Lakelse Gateway Connection.
Reducing rock overhangs and installing safety nets along a portion of the pathway was covered by a separate budget.
The $94,000 is coming from the Northern Capital Planning Grant Reserve, a specific account set up the city when it received $14.728 million in 2019 and 2020 to finance projects it might not otherwise afford to undertake.
Since then the city has relied on the grant to to cover overruns or unanticipated expenses, mostly caused by the post-COVID inflationary surge.
That list includes the below and above ground rebuild now underway on Graham Ave. and the installation of lights on the final extension of the millennium trail.