Board green lights next step for $52 million dollar water treatment plant project
A proposed water treatment plant on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River, that would potentially serve hundreds of properties in the Shellbrook, Duck Lake and Prince Albert areas, may be one step closer to construction.
The Prince Albert Rural Water Utility (PARWU) board recently passed a resolution to move to the next phase of development. The special steering committee assigned to the project involves representatives from the Town of Shellbrook, Rural Municipality (RM) of Shellbrook and PARWU.
The initial cost of the project, when announced in January, was estimated to be in the area of $45 million however a preliminary study done by a Saskatoon consulting firm found a price tag of $52 million was more realistic. According to a media release Wednesday from the Steering Committee, the next phase will require “sufficient expenditure to refine the design to establish better confidence in the cost estimates.” PAWRU General Manager Ken Danger told paNOW the cost of phase two will be $360,000.
Work involved is expected to include obtaining proposals from engineering consulting firms to do detailed engineering; gathering cost estimates from local contractors for various aspects of the job; and preparing a schedule for all activities required to identify critical path items. The steering committee also plans to engage with consultants to apply for an Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) grant and a Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) loan. Shellbrook Mayor, and Steering Committee Member, Amund Otterson continues to express optimism in the project.