Locals express frustration on BCHS timelines and contractor shutout to Infrastructure Minister

The Minister of Infrastructure Prasad Panda came to Bonnyville to hear local concerns about the BCHS modernization last Thursday, but the process doesn’t appear to be moving faster.

The shifting timelines and shutout of local contractors has caused a stir about the BCHS modernization, which was supposed to begin at the start of the 2019-20 school year, and facilitated the move from Northern Lights Public Schools to move classes to the Centennial Centre.

The tender has closed but the contract has not been awarded, said Infrastructure Press Secretary Hadyn Place, and the timeline to mobilize in March is still a go.

Budget details, however, will not be released until the project is awarded.

Minister Panda met with MLA David Hanson, Mayor Gene Sobolewski, and a local contractor that did not meet the province’s bidding standards about the project, hoping to change the process in the future.

“I’m very concerned about where we’re going with it. I’m sure that the parents are concerned as well, I understand that the students are actually liking the facilities over there and access to the facilities at the C2. Hopefully, it’s not too much of a strain on them,” said Hanson.

“In my opinion, the more people that we can get bidding on these jobs, especially local contractors, especially in our local economy – we desperately need that kind of work. So it’s very disappointing that our local guys didn’t get a chance to even bid on the job.”

Sobolewski said he believes they conveyed their issues well and hopes bidding requirements will be looked at.

“One of the things we’re hoping that’s an outcome here is the process will change, such that it’s not so much a beauty contest and go back to a more fair process,” he said.

“But we’ll see what happens. We raised a number of other issues to the ministry that as a result of some of the policies are putting forward are causing a lot of grief. We’ll see how they react to them.

“By the time you start looking and resolving the issue of shop drawings and your requests for information, you’d be lucky to get started by June or August. There’s just so much,” said Sobolewski.

In January, NLPS said if delays continue they’ll explore staying at the Centennial Centre for portions of the 2020-21 school year, while asking Alberta Infrastructure to cover the costs above and beyond what’s already been set aside for modernization.