Who is ready to let the dogs out?
City Hall is preparing to break ground on the leash-free dog park along Beaverdams Road.
As ThoroldToday reported, a local family has generously donated the nine acres of land, on the condition that it be transformed into a dog park.
After coming up with a design and soliciting input from the general public, City Hall put out a request for tenders and nine applications were received.
The city wants to award the contract to D & R Landscape Group Inc., who say they can get the job done at the lowest price point for $411,158.00, excluding HST.
Since there is only $258,956 remaining in the project's budget, City Hall recommends that $160,000 be allocated from the Municipal Land and Building Reserve.
“The design committee's request to include lighting, tree planting, as well as the Niagara region's requirement for asphalt pavement has increased the scope of the project requiring additional funds,” reads a City Hall report on the matter.
An alternative solution for the budget overrun would be to reduce the scope of the work.
“Elements of the project that could be removed or reduced to lower the expense include trees, solar lighting, the traffic island in the driveway and one of the park signs,” reads the report. “Additionally, the walkways and asphalt pavement in the accessible parking area were removed, along with two of the three maintenance gates.”
Because the features would still need to be installed eventually it “is shifting the expense of these elements to a future date.”
That’s why City Hall is recommending City Council move forward with the project completely by allocating the necessary funds from the reserve.
The report is set to hit the floor during tomorrow’s city council meeting. If approved, the city hopes to complete the dog park by Spring 2024.
