The cost of the Sechelt Landfill remediation project is going up, in part because a federally protected species of birds has been found nesting in materials at the drop-off station.
Work on the remediation and construction of the drop-off area for the Sechelt Landfill began on May 24, after sinkholes caused by previously buried drywall were discovered in early 2020.
In a financial update at the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) June 10 infrastructure services committee meeting, general manager of infrastructure services Remko Rosenboom told directors that some of the voids were 60 to 70 cm in depth. This led to an additional cost of $23,508.
In the first few weeks of the project, staff noticed birds nesting in the lock-block wall. A biologist confirmed that the tree swallows are a federally protected species, whose nests cannot be disturbed until their hatched young have fledged, Rosenboom told directors. The lock-block wall was originally planned to be reused for the new drop-off area.
“Instead of delaying the project, staff confirmed that it was more cost efficient to purchase new lock-blocks instead of reusing the old ones, and reuse the old ones at a future project,” Rosenboom said.
SCRD directors voted to increase the budget for the drop-off remediation by $158,779. Of that amount, $128,779 will be from short-term debt and $30,000 from the existing operational budget.
The contract with Summit Earthworks Inc. will also be increased by $128,779 up to $1,028,541 plus taxes.
The 2021-2025 financial plan will be updated to authorize up to $1,247,667 to be borrowed from the Municipal Finance Authority for the project.
The project is currently predicted to be completed by the end of July, earlier than previously anticipated.
