Whitehorse council considers trash contracts
Two five-year contracts for the landfill could soon be awarded to local firms.
At Whitehorse city council’s March 2 meeting, recommendations were brought forward to award the next five year gate-keeping contract to Gray Management Services with General Waste Management recommended for the transfer station operations.
Gray Management had the lowest of three bids submitted on the gate-keeping contract at $718,326 for the total five years. Broken down, the yearly amounts would be $129,999 for 2020 to 2021, followed by $136,498; $143,323; $150,490; and $158,014 in each of the following years.
While the amount is higher than the city had expected, a review of land operations is set to happen later this year with changes expected to tipping fees in 2021.
On the transfer station operations contract, General Waste Management put forward the only compliant bid for the work.
It bid $933,253 over the five-year period beginning with $175,782 in the 2020/2021 year, followed by $181,055; $186,487; $192,082 and $197,844 in subsequent years.
As with the gate-keeping contract, the bid came in higher than expected with the city pointing to its review of operations and potential changes to tipping fees.
Council will vote on the two contracts March 9.
Rehab of the Black Street stairs could get more pricy
The City of Whitehorse could add another $150,000 to the original $250,000 budgeted for work on the Puckett’s Gulch stairs — better known as the Black Street stairs — leading up the clay cliffs to the airport path.
Through the design stage of the rehabilitation project for the stairs “it became evident that a full rehabilitation would require significantly more budget to properly address the drainage issues and provide adequate footings for the structure,” city engineering manager Taylor Eshpeter told Whitehorse city council March 2.
The project has changed from work that could be done in place to a full deconstruction and re-build, he said, highlighting full replacement for several landings, improved lighting and changes to the footings as additional work that’s needed.
Eshpeter said the project would see the stairs closed for about a month when work is underway.
