By TERRY PUGH
The wheels are now in motion for a new building for the Warman Public Works department.
The new building was approved last fall by Warman City Council, with an allocation of $3 million in this year’s capital budget. An additional $1 million has been earmarked for the project in 2026 as part of the city’s 10-year capital investment plan.
The city’s public works department has outgrown the existing facility on South Railway Street West. A new shop has been on the city’s wish list for several years, but the project was always bumped down the priority list. However, the growing demand on the city’s resources for such tasks as snow-clearing and street maintenance now translates into a pressing need for increased indoor space for vehicle storage and repairs.
A request for proposals (RFP) was issued in late February for the structural and architectural design of the new public works shop, slated to be built on city-owned property on Industrial Road in the city’s south end. The city administration is currently evaluation responses to the RFP.
According to an administration report presented to the Warman City Council committee of the whole meeting on Monday, March 17, the new location was selected because of its proximity to existing power, gas and communications services, as well as distance to existing sewer and storm water stubs. Potable water can be tied into from Industrial Road.
A total of seven boreholes were drilled on Wednesday, March 12, and a geotechnical report of the findings will be used by structural engineers to design the pilings and foundation for the new shop.
SNOW CLEARING
During the months of February and March, Warman city crews have been working weekends and extra hours dealing with snow clearing and drainage issues.
In a report to the March 17 city council committee of the whole meeting, the public works department stated that during the freeze-thaw temperature variations over the past several weeks, staff have continued to deal with remaining icy ruts on streets, as well as thawing catch basins and opening necessary drainage ditches to assist with spring runoff.
A contractor with a tracked excavator and large bucket was hired to open ditches along Ferry Road to allow drainage of spring runoff to the river.
LIFT STATION 3
Work is about 68% per cent complete for the new $5.1 million Lift Station 3 project currently under construction in Linda Schaeffer Park near Crenshaw Way and 6th Avenue North in Warman. The new lift station will replace an existing undersized facility that has experienced capacity issues for several years.
The scheduled completion date for the project is May 15, 2025, and the park pathways and grass are slated to be restored by this summer.
RECYCLING MATERIAL
The public works department has been storing and recycling about 1,400 cubic yards of unprocessed granular material that was removed from city streets last summer as part of the city’s street improvement contract.
According to a report presented to the March 17 city council meeting, this material was stored near the fire fighting practice grounds north of Highway 305. It will be crushed and screened to be used in the future for back lanes and for Thompson Road dust control, which consists of combined oil and aggregate for a thin smooth, dustless surface. Utilizing the recycled aggregate saves the city about $60 to $80 per cubic yard, according to the report.