Plans to heat the new Dutch Lake community center with wood heat took another step forward during a town council meeting held July 8.
Acting on the recommendation of Dave Dubois, project coordinator for Wood Waste 2 Rural Heat, District of Clearwater picked Western BioHeat of Langley to be lead proponent for the new biomass heating system.
Four companies responded to a request for proposal issued earlier this year, Dubois said.
One was received past deadline and so was rejected.
The remaining three all submitted good proposals but Western BioHeat came out on top after they were reviewed – mostly by having the lowest bid price, said Dubois.
Western BioHeat’s estimate was $175,000, while number two ranked Fink Machine Inc.’s was $236,000. Third ranked Canadian Engineered Products bid price was $230,000.
“It’s an estimate only,” Dubois said of Western WoodHeat’s BioHeat's bid. “It’s not a firm number. That’s the key thing to understand.”
The decision means that staff will work with Western BioHeat to develop a detailed project plan, including firm costs and design, for a biomass heating system for the former Dutch Lake School.
The company will then bring its proposal back to council, likely in September, for a final decision.
If Western BioHeat decides it cannot do the job for its original bid price, then council would have the option to re-open the process.
Council is not committed to spending any money, Dubois said, and all the work in developing a detailed proposal would be at the company’s expense.
Councilor Shelley Sim was unhappy that more weight hadn’t been given to whether the bidding company was from a rural community.
She had been impressed by the presentation made by a representative of Enderby-based Fink Machinery, she said.
Gord Heisterman asked if the proposal included the RCMP building or just the former school.
Dubois said he hoped that option would be included in the detailed proposal.
He estimated that heating the school would need about 35 kilowatts while adding the police building would add another 25 to 35 kw.
“That’s only a rough guess. It’s not even an estimate,” he cautioned.
The former school presently is heated with propane. The District believes that converting to wood heat or biomass would save money plus make the project more environmentally friendly.
In the end, only councilor Sim voted against accepting Western BioHeat as the project’s lead proponent.
Moving day on July 18
District of Clearwater will move its operations out of its present office building on the Flats and into the new community center in the former Dutch Lake School on July 18, chief administrative officer Leslie Groulx told council.
She asked for permission to officially close the office for that day.
“We’ll be doing a serious blitz,” she said.
Groulx said she understood that Yellowhead Community Services also would be moving some of its operations into the former school on that day.