North Battleford Cameron McIntosh Airport. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

High cost

City to postpone backup generator project for airport runway lights

Dec 15, 2023 | 8:00 AM

North Battleford city council decided to delay its plans for a backup generator project for runway lights at the Cameron McIntosh Airport for the current time due to high costs for the project.

Director of Operations Stewart Schafer said in his report at this week’s council meeting that administration recommended council cancel the airport backup generator project for 2023-2024.

The project came in over-budget at a cost of $244,621 including PST. The Community Airport Partnership (CAP) – a program that provides funding for capital improvements for regional, community-owned airports in Saskatchewan through the province – only funds up to a maximum of $75,000.

As a result, the city would be required to pay the remainder of the project cost if it wanted to proceed with the project. The city’s share of the project would be $169,621 including PST, over the current budget by $94,621 including PST.

By not proceeding with the project, the city’s CAP grant funding would be forfeited for 2024, however the city can apply in future years when budgeted appropriately.

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Earlier this year, council authorized to set $25,000 aside from the revenue-sharing grant increase to use towards this project and, if the grant was unsuccessful, to defer the $25,000 for the 2024 revenues. As administration is recommending to cancel it, it instead will save the $25,000 reserve for 2024.

“We have the designs ready to go and they are sitting on the shelf,” Schafer said. “When it comes back up, we can make any minor revisions that are required. But like every other project that we’ve had here, the prices are just going nuts. They seem to be going up, whether suppliers can’t get the material. They are having some problems.”

He stressed while the project is still of high importance, the city just doesn’t have the budget this year to finish it off for 2024.

Council approved the resolution to cancel the project for now, bring it back in the future and save whatever reserve is left from this project going forward.

“We’ll try it again next year,” Schafer said. “It might appear next year if we get the CAP funding for it again, but it might be two years from now.”

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com