DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS REPORT: April 2021 CAPITAL PROJECTS: Public Works: BF 75450 on RR 70A south of Alder Flats is primarily complete and back in service. Remaining work includes harrowing and seeding which will be done in 2021. Newforce Energy and WSP performing this work. This is the last DRP project completed of the 2016 flood and PW and Finance are working to submit final claims to the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. BF6773 scheduled for replacement in 2021. Prairie Erectors Intl. and WSP. Project startup date is tentatively scheduled in June, following the restricted stream activity period. STIP applications for BF 1825 and BF 78867 have been submitted. The County has not as yet heard of any grant approval/rejection. These projects are in their detailed design phase with WSP and will soon be tendered. STIP applications have been submitted for RR 12 (Lakedell Rd) and G3 Resource Road. Still waiting on notification of award/rejection. The G3 Resource Rd project has been awarded to Central City Asphalt Ltd (CCAL) and a preconstruction meeting was held May 12, 2021. The work is scheduled to begin on May 17, 2021 and is expected to take 6-7 weeks to complete. The County is continuing with the expropriation of a small area of land necessary for the upgrade to the Hwy 613 and RR 240 intersection. The expropriation process is initiated, and updates will be provided as they materialize. With a contractor now assigned, the clock is ticking to get this process complete so there are no costly delays. The tender for 2021 County Local Road Construction has been awarded to Crow Enterprises Ltd and an expected start date is mid to late May 2021. This tender was previously awarded to Iron Stone Services Ltd, however, they could not meet the bonding requirements under the Contract, therefore defaulting on their bid. Crow Enterprises have provided their bonding and the contracts are all in place. The work is scheduled to begin mid to late May 2021. The tender for Phase 1 Hamlet Upgrades closed April 6, 2021. This project was approved on April 15, 2021 with the work awarded to Central Construction Group. This year’s work involves the Hamlets of Winfield, Mulhurst and Gwynne. Work is expected to begin in mid to late May 2021. The tender for RR 11 (Norris Beach Rd) closed February 2, 2021 and the contract has been awarded to Crow Enterprises Ltd. Expect a July to September work schedule. The tender for upgrades to TR472A (Pipestone Rd) has been awarded to Crow Enterprises Ltd. Contracts are in place and the work is scheduled to begin late May 2021. Preliminary work has begun on the SE and Area flood mitigation project with ACRP and Ermineskin. ROHI has noted that following their initial surveys in 2020, some work was undertaken on reserve lands and on private land. These changes will be re-evaluated and adjusted as needed in the development of the detailed design. Design and tender for the outstanding 2019 West Flood DRP projects will be advertised May 2021. Utilities: Detailed design is nearing completion regarding the Gwynne Lagoon upgrade. Expecting a tender posting in May 2021; this project is part of the AMWWP grant. A preliminary engineering report is being prepared for the Winfield Lagoon Upgrade; once completed, the report and application for AMWWP funding will be submitted to Alberta Transportation. Detailed design is being prepared for water treatment plant upgrades to Mulhurst and Winfield. Tender for the Dorchester Ranch Resort lift station has been awarded to Parkway Enterprises Ltd. Work on site is scheduled to begin in May 2021. Preliminary Design meetings have begun with MPE Engineering regarding the communities of Village West, Grandview Meadows, and Beachside Estates. OPERATIONS: General Conditions As reported last month, this year’s snow melt and early spring conditions are markedly different compared to 2020. The relatively minor snowpack essentially began melting in February and March and was a very slow and progressive melt. Due to this, overland flooding, washed-out culverts, and eroded roadways have been very few to report. This is good news for PW with respect to not having to commit significant resources to Spring Road Repair. The spring season is not over yet, but early conditions are promising with the frost slowly coming out and drier conditions overall. The total 2021 Spring Road Repair budget is $288,856 with $2,300 spent to the end of April. However, with repairs being planned for May and likely June, this value is expected to rise appropriately. Note: PW will not exceed the allotted budget - if it is anticipated that the budget may need to be increased, then a full report will be provided to Council. Conversely, if by July there is a significant amount remaining in the budget, PW would like to re- allocate the remaining funds to drainage and new culvert installations. Either way, a report with respect to this PW activity will be prepared in detail by July 2021. For the month of April and into May, we are noticing continued thawing of frost boils which has degraded some roadways. Several roads are in poor shape due to the moisture contained within the subgrade, but they will improve in time. The affected roads are the Usual Suspects – i.e., roads that have poor elevation and very poor subgrade materials (topsoil/peat). The seasonal road bans are still in effect and likely remain until the first part of June. The amount of frost boils and road damage this year is estimated at 20% of what 2020 was. There are still a few weeks of spring conditions ahead of us, but things are looking more promising this year. The drier conditions this year has PW and area much more concerned about fire. PW had an incident where a grass fire was started due to the cutting and repair of a damaged culvert end. The two PW employees worked hard to contain the blaze, but with the dry conditions and the wind, the fire got out of hand. Ultimately, the crew called out the fire department to assist. PW employees will be given more tools to fight a fire in the event something like this happens again. Tools like additional fire extinguishers, water back packs, brooms, toolbox meetings and project awareness. Snow and Ice Control – Program Update For each budget year, PW budgets a certain amount for Snow and Ice Control serving our rural and urban areas. This program is specific to truck snowplow and sanding activities and does not include the graders (Patrol Areas). For 2021, the total budget for Snow and Ice Control is $389,484. The following table and bar graph shows the historical cost of this PW activity for the 5-year period 2017-2021. The costs are separated into two phases January to April (4-month cost); and October to December (3-month cost). Labour and equipment will tend to drive costs up over time, but the primary factor is the weather and the response from PW. For 2021, the first phase (Jan to April) is significantly lower than the previous four years and trending lower than 2017. The second winter operations phase in 2021 may bring poor winter weather and higher costs, but if the trend remains and there is drier weather, we may realize some savings this year. Historical Costs and Trends – Snow and Ice Control Public Works – Total Salaries and Overtime – Tri-Annual Report: A directive for PW, particularly in the past 2-3 years - is to limit and restrict approved overtime for employees. Due to the language and format of the Collective Agreement between the County of Wetaskiwin and the IUOE, the regular hours of work for Public Works employees shall not exceed 10 hours per day; or 191 hours in a calendar month. Overtime is therefor paid for any hours worked over 10 hours per day or 191 hours in a calendar month. Due to this schedule, a worker can gain significant overtime hours just by showing up for a regular 10-hour shift. A “built in” overtime schedule. Consider March 2021 for example: there were 23 working days in March and at 10 hours per day, that equates to 230 hours of work, of which - 39 hours are overtime. Multiply this by several PW employees, and the overtime costs can climb quickly. To mitigate this moving forward, PW Management is working with the In-Scope staff to monitor and schedule hours so that “built in” overtime hours are reduced. This means scheduling 8 or 9 hour workdays as opposed to 10; or scheduling a stay at home (i.e. no work) if an employee has hit their 191-hour limit. The following table and graphs indicate the regular, overtime, and total salaries paid to Public Works employees for PW business units 3201-3206. The analysis is for the months of (Jan to April), and observes the three year period (2019-2021). The data shows a downward trend for total salaries which is due to a number of factors, but primarily due to less staff, reduced budget (less work) and possibly better weather. Note that overtime pay for 2021 has reduced significantly. JAN – APR (4 months) MANAGER OF OPERATIONS - APRIL 2021 • Starting to budget and price construction projects for the years 2022-23-24-25. Getting projects wish lists from the foreman. This is very time consuming and includes inspecting every project and putting each into priority for severity and budget costing. Projects include grading, shoulder pull, ditching, drainage, culvert replacement, subdivisions, oiled and paved road repairs. • Compile list of bridge repairs for the 2021/2022 bridge maintenance contract.