Hazardous material abatement in old Blue Ridge building happening this year

An older building in Woodlands County, closed to the public for some time due to unhealthy conditions, will receive some attention this year. The Briar Patch is located in the heart of Blue Ridge and has been used in various ways. It was used as a school for decades, but the building was also used as the local library for several years and was a landing spot for Moms & Tots programming held in the community.

Recently, a tender was let out to deal with the hazardous materials inside the building. Andre Bachand, Director of Infrastructure for Woodlands County, provided a breakdown during the April 27 regular meeting of Woodlands County Council. He explained that The Briar Patch School building was taken over by the County years ago.

“A few years ago, it was determined that there was asbestos, mercury, lead, and mould in the building. A tender was let out to do the hazardous waste abatement in the building. We had nine bids, ranging from $120,000 to $245,000.” Bachand said that of the nine that applied, six complied with all of the requirements set forth by the County. Requirements included a WCB clearance letter, bid bond, and an H&S prequalification form. The County also required insurance letters such as comprehensive liability, automotive liability, commercial fleet insurance, and asbestos/environmental impairment liability with specific amounts for each one. Three of the applicants didn’t provide all the needed documents and were therefore not considered.

“Cascade Environmental was our consulting contractor on the job, and they went through the bids. They recommended Inflector Environmental Services as the lowest bid that was compliant.” The bid from Cascade Environmental came in at $128,500. Two companies that didn’t provide all the necessary documents had lower offers, with one coming in at $120,000 and the other at $115,444.

Councillor Jeremy Wilhelm asked for clarity on Cascade Environmental as the consultant on the project. He wondered if the cost to hire them was incorporated into another budget line or if it was incorporated into the fees listed before them. “The cost of utilizing Cascade for that, (did) that fall under another budget item or is (it) included in this $120,000 to $245,000,” he asked.

Bachand said that the cost for hiring Cascade Environmental was previously included in the capital budget. The budget for the entire project, including the successful tender and the consulting services, is $255,000. By accepting the recommended bid from Inflector Environmental Services, Woodlands County would have over $100,000 left to cover those costs.

Reeve John Burrows asked for specifics on the motion. “This is just to remove the hazardous materials from the building, and the building is still going to be there. So, there’s a demolition component that has to go on there yet? Are we looking at repurposing the building after the hazardous materials have been removed?”

Bachand replied that once the hazardous materials (asbestos, mercury, lead, and mould) were removed from The Briar Patch, they would decide their next steps, whether to try and repurpose it or remove it altogether. “We will identify what the costs are to demolish it, and we may come back to Council if the remaining budget is sufficient. If not, it will be a 2023 budget item to demolish.”

Councillor Dave Kusch brought up an issue with waiting until 2023 to demolish the building and shared his concerns. “I do believe the policies in the province, on the removal of hazardous materials changes, I believe next year, and if we put this off, I know it’s a lot of money, but the costs would be substantially higher later on.”

Bachand confirmed what Councillor Kusch stated. “That is correct. The rules are changing for 2023. We would be required to submit reports on any buildings that we own containing asbestos, so the costs would increase.”

Councillor Bruce Prestidge motioned to award the Briar Patch Hazardous Material Abatement RFP to Inflector Environmental for the bid sum of $128,500.00 plus tax, which Council unanimously approved. Councillor Kusch then motioned for Council to approve a 10% contingency for $12,850 if required. The vote was once again unanimous.