After years of planning, Chatham-Kent Council will vote on awarding a tender for an accessible kayak launch on Third Street in Erieau.
The accessible kayak launch has been in development since November 2023. This past June, council voted in favour of moving forward with the Third Street launch, but eliminated plans for a second on Stass Lane.
Out of the five bids the municipality received, Chatham based contractor, Westhoek Construction, submitted the lowest compliant tender bid at $231,224.78. In the report staff is recommending council approve adding additional funds to the $15,000 contingency the company included in their bid. The increase of $35,000 is being recommended due to “the complexity of the civil works required within the project area.”
In 2023, council allocated $255,000 for the Erieau kayak launches in the 2024 Capital Budget. Administration is recommending council cover the full cost of the project, including previous expenses using funds from the Property Disposition Reserve using proceeds from the sale of the fire lanes in Erieau.
The municipality earned $555,470 from that sale which, if approved, would cover the kayak launch with the remaining funds transferred to the CK Housing New Construction Reserve.
With no new funding being requested, administration is hoping to bypass the election restriction of councillors approving expenditures exceeding $50,000 when less than 75 per cent are returning as the kayak launch was approved to be funded from the Property Disposition Reserve.
No word on when construction would start on the launch.
