Al10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 31, 1999

Businessman
queries gov't
bid process

AN OWNER of a flagging
company in the Nass Valley
isn’t happy wilh the way.a
recent highways ministry
contract was awarded.

And it has Matthew Bright

wondering if Nass residents

will get a share of ‘the mil-
lions to be spent into the
next century on two major
projects there.

Bright’s Ksi Gan’a Con-

tracting of Greenville bid on
traffic control work to be re-
quired on minor. road
projects this year in .the
Nass.

But he Tost out to a Ter- ©

race company which - bid
lower,

“It’s common sense to of-
fer work ‘in Greenville
which has a 80 to 90 per
cent unemployment ‘rate,’’
said Bright last week,

“‘We assumed they'd offer
us some work. If you call
the Nisga’a Tribal Council
you'd find out’ that the
priority is to have the
Nisga‘a have the _ first
chance to work,’ | said
Bright.

“T can put people to work

here who are certified and —

who have Level: One first
aid,’’ he added.

“There are supposed to be
opportunities for people in

the valley, but that’s not

happening.”

“Ts this the same process
that will take place when
those other projects start?”

~ Be Wise... :

Local highways official
Shawn McKinley said
Bright met all of the bid re-
quirements but lost out on
price.

“We don’t specify you
have to be from’ one ‘area.
This was open to all bidders.
There was no: preferential
treatment’ one way or the

_other,’"'s said McKinley.

Although one sentence in
the call for tender package
said the lowest price would
nol necessarily be accepted,
McKinley said that’s a stan-
dard statement from the
ministry.

“If the lowest price was
still above. what. we had
budgeted, we. would not
have the money to accept
that bid,”’ he said.

McKinley did say the
highways minisiry is work-
ing on ways to include Nass
Valley residents in the two
major projects planned for
the valley — the road to
Kincolith and improvements
to the Nisga’a Highway.

Nass prime location
for gov’t road work

TWO MAJOR multi-year road projects in
the Nass Valley will consume $5 million
each this vear for a total of $10 million.

There'll be engineering and design
work for a-road from Kincolith at the
mouth of the Nass River with plans for
construction to start this fall.

As well, portions of the Nisga’ a High-
way are either up for engineering and
reconstruction or just enginecring.

A Skm stretch between Greenville and
the “Y’ intersection in the Nass Valley
will be improved to bring it above flood
water levels and some bridges will be re-
placed,

Engincering and design work will be
done on two locations of the Nisga’a
Highway from south of Lava Lake north
to the lava beds.

Both the Kincolith road and Nisga’a
Highway projects this year represent the
slart of multi-year construction efforts for
a combined amount of at least $70 mil-
lion.

The $10 million this year is part of the
$13.2 million planned for work in the
North Coast riding held by NDP cabinet
minister Dan Miller.

Also coming is resurfacing of 48km of
the highway between Terrace and Prince
Rupert. That will take up the majority of

the remaining $3.2 million.

The Kincolith road and Nisga’a High-
way projects were announced earlier by
the province but were.then also included
in an announcement of $69 million for
roads this year in the north,

In the Skeena riding held by NDP MLA
Helmut Giesbrecht, $1 million will be
spent, primarily on sealcoating of the
Beam Station Road. That's a follow
through of work begun last year.

Rumble strips, which alert motorists to
Stop signs or lower speed limits; will alsa
be installed where Hwy16 goes over the
CN line about 50km west of here toward
Prince Rupert,

A dangerous comer on Hwyl6 near
Kitwanga east of here will be straightened
a bit by removing a-rock cut.

Finally, there will be. more sealcoating
on Hwy37 North. That dollar value is
being tagged at $7 million.

Work will include design and engineer-
ing on a 52km section going north to
Kiniskan Lake, bringing it up to a 90kph
standard and prepare it for more work and
sealcoating in future years.

Those sections up for sealcoating in-
clude a continuation from last year of a
143km section that was put on hold when
the weather turned bad,

re.

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