By TERRY PUGH
After being relegated to the budgetary back burner for many years, a much-needed new public works shop is being given high priority in the upcoming 2026 civic budget by Warman City Council.
Council approved two motions paving the way for construction of the new public works building at their meeting on Monday, November 24.
The first motion dealt with the contract for construction of the building. Council voted to award the job to ConTech General Contractors Ltd. at a price of $4,575,060 (PST included).
A total of eight tenders had been submitted in the competitive bid process, which closed October 23. The bids were evaluated on the basis of a combination of factors, with price accounting for 50% of the final score for each bid.
The city’s public works department has outgrown the existing facility on South Railway Street West. Growing demand for snow-clearing and street maintenance has translated into a pressing need for increased indoor space for vehicle storage and repairs.
The new shop is designed to accommodate future population growth, increased operations staff, and equipment capacity. Additional equipment such as gravel trucks, tractors, a fourth grader and a hydrovac trailer is expected to enhance snow removal, maintenance and response times.
Council also approved a motion to allocate additional funds in the 2026 civic budget to cover the entire $7 million cost of the new public works building. In addition to the building itself, the overall cost includes the cost of the 10-acre parcel of land in Warman’s south industrial area, utilities servicing, fencing, gates, landscaping and paving.
Council had previously approved $3 million in the current 2025 municipal budget for the construction of the new public works building.
According to a city administration report to the November 24 council meeting, an additional $1 million was earmarked for the project in the upcoming 2026 budget, but had not yet been formally approved by council.
“Administration is therefore requesting approval of this $1 million, along with an additional $3 million in 2026, for a total project funding requirement of $7 million to allow completion over two years,” stated the report.
Earmarking an additional $3 million to the, as yet unadopted, 2026 civic budget will impact other planned capital projects, noted the administration report. But, it suggests that two of the planned 2026 capital projects (an expansion to City Hall and improvements to the city’s storm water drainage system), could be deferred, or alternate sources of funding could be sought.
At the November 24 meeting, councillors approved a motion that the city apply for a Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) grant to help fund the storm water drainage improvement project. The CHIF funding application deadline was November 28.
STORM WATER PROJECT
According to the administration report, the ‘Ferry Road bypass and drainage improvement project’ would increase storm sewer capacity in the northwest area of Warman, eliminate surface flows south of the Legends Golf Course and along the Ferry Road ditch in the RM of Corman Park, and improve storm water management by redirecting flows to existing storm infrastructure.
“Currently, storm water is pumped to an open ditch south of the golf course, where it travels through multiple culverts toward Ferry Road,” stated the report. “The proposed improvements would replace this system with larger, buried storm piping, redirecting flows to the storm holding pond near the dog park. From there, water would discharge through the existing 1200 mm concrete pipe to the river, which was installed several years ago as part of the lagoon project.”
The estimated total cost of the drainage improvement project is $3.5 million. If the city’s CHIF grant application is successful, federal-provincial funding would help lighten the city’s financial burden for the project.