Update on Costs for Repairs to Lift Station

At tonight's (November 19) Public Council Meeting, Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Laurie, Chair of the Corporate Services Committee, provided an update on the costs of the repairs to the Lift Station on the corner of Topsail Road and St. Thomas Line. An equipment malfunction occurred at the Lift Station on August 12, and as the volume at that lift station is the largest in Town, crews worked to keep the essential service operating for residents while repair work was completed.

"With the work completed and the Lift Station now fully operational, we are able to provide a more detailed financial update on this project.

To date, the total net cost for all the work related to the lift station, paid to external contractors and vendors, is $1.527 million. This includes the rebuild of the discharge piping system.

The Town also paid $94,500 for overtime costs for Town staff on this matter. We certainly appreciate our employees for putting in the extra time needed to keep the Lift Station operational for our residents. They put in long hours for many weeks, and we thank them for their hard work.

It is important to note that over 80 percent of the costs were related to keeping the Lift Station operational so that we were able to maintain this essential service for our residents. This includes renting the needed pumper trucks and other equipment.

With respect to the property at 3 St. Thomas Line and the request to purchase it, the process is ongoing. As we have stated, out of respect for the privacy of the resident, Council will not speak publicly to the specifics of the issue until the process is completed. Once it is is finalized, we will certainly speak publicly to the matter, and provide that financial update.

There is no question that this situation resulted in unexpected costs for the Town. However, I’m pleased to note that the Town is able to absorb these costs within our existing 2019 budget. Through prudent and careful fiscal management along with being able to defer a couple of projects to next year, we are able to accommodate these costs.

We are relieved that this matter is resolved and the Lift Station is operational once again. We recognize the inconvenience this caused to our residents, especially for those who lived in the vicinity and heard the noise of the trucks and equipment working to resolve everything. We thank all residents for the patience during this issue."