Bancroft will hire Carillion for this year’s winter maintenance operations on connecting link highways in town.
This comes after a suggestion from Public Works Manager Perry Kelly that town staff should take on winter maintenance on 11 kilometres of highways 62 and 28. Kelly says this would save the town $10,000 a year, and would also give the town more control as to when roads are being salted and plowed.
At a special meeting earlier today, council decided against the move based on a recommendation from the Infrastructure Committee. Chair of the Committee Charles Mullett explains the recommendation was put forward because the town still needs to figure out details of a potential new public works yard.
Mullett also says the town currently does not have anywhere to store salt, something he hopes to see included as part of the new potential new public works yard.
Requests for Proposals have been sent out to build the new works yard, but Mullett says he is unsure when they will be returned. After that, Mullett says the town could look into taking winter maintenance on connecting link highways in-house next year.
Carillion is asking for $110,000 to take on these operations this winter, which does not factor in the cost of salt.