VIDEO – An addition to the seawalk linking the new section of the south harbour to the Wharf at Westview was unofficially finished last week.
The new section of the walk consists of a timber bridge and ramp as well as some sections constructed of rip-rap and gravel.
The contract for the walkway was awarded to Agius Builders Ltd. in October, 2012. Now, all that remains to be completed is the finishing touches.
“We still haven’t got total completion on the project,” explained Tor Birtig, director of infrastructure for the City of Powell River. “We still have a little bit of cleaning up to do, some branch trimming, some weed-eating and things like that.”
Birtig said the city aims to eventually hold a grand opening for the walk. “After two or three weeks, we’d like to get people down there for at least a ribbon cutting,” he said.
The new addition to the seawalk provides a way for boaters in the south harbour to access the wharf without walking along Highway 101. “If you’re coming in by boat, this will be the quickest way to get into our town’s amenities,” explained Birtig.
The whole process hasn’t been smooth sailing though. The city originally budgeted $200,000 to complete the project. When a request for proposals went out, only two bids were received and both were over budget.
Though staff decided to use more rip-rap and gravel to reduce the cost, the new, negotiated price with the lowest bidder was still $74,000 too much.
To help, the board of directors of Powell River Community Forest Ltd. decided to allocate more funds from the reserve to the project. The final contract for the timber boardwalk and bridge was awarded to Agius for $205,235 plus HST. The remainder of the budget went to the gravel section.
In the process of building, the city also had to expropriate property held in the name of Mid-Coast Holdings Ltd., whose president is Mark Murray. “We had no issues with that process,” said Birtig. “From our perspective, it went well.”
Birtig added that people will enjoy strolling on the new walkway. “Now there is a link between the south harbour and the remaining seawalk,” he said. “Users of the seawalk will have an extra length to walk and a visual of the south harbour.”
