A structural problem first identified at the Elgin Municipal Complex in 2021 is moving toward repair after Rideau Lakes council unanimously awarded a $61,050 contract Aug. 4, while staff provided more detail about why the work had been deferred.
The deteriorating steel beams are beneath the floor of the Elgin branch of the Rideau Lakes Public Library and the adjoining public entrance area. Smiths Falls-based Covell Construction Inc. will infill the cistern below with flowable concrete after submitting the lowest of three bids.
The contractor is expected to begin work Aug. 17 and finish by Aug. 28, ahead of a Sept. 1 remediation deadline recommended by the township’s structural engineer.
The condition of the floor beams was first identified by iN Engineering in 2021, when repairs were recommended within three years.
A structural inspection by Eastern Engineering on May 13, 2026, found the bottom flanges of the main steel beams had lost an average of about 50 per cent of their section due to years of dampness and inadequate ventilation. The engineer recommended remediation by Sept. 1.
The history of the project became a focus of council’s discussion Aug. 4, with councillors questioning why a problem known for several years had now become urgent.
Facilities and Parks Manager Steve Holmes told council the work had been included in his departmental budget requests for the past two years but had not been approved.
Chief administrative officer Shellee Fournier explained that during the 2026 Strong Mayor budget process, staff met with Mayor Arie Hoogenboom and reviewed proposed expenditures, including which projects were required and which could be deferred.
Fournier said Holmes had advised the cistern work could be pushed out as long as the structure continued to undergo engineering review. The full repair was not included in the budget, while approximately $1,500 was approved for another structural inspection.
That inspection changed the timeline. Fournier said the May engineering review determined the work should be completed by Sept. 1. Had the engineer concluded the structure could safely go another year, she said the township would have continued with the engineering review process.
During this same meeting, a letter from the library board had warned it would close the Elgin Branch if council did not commit to the repair at its Aug. 4 meeting.
Library board chair Maxine Weber said the delay had caused “significant concerns” about liability and the board’s responsibility for the health and safety of staff and patrons.
The library had already reduced the floor load in the affected area. The board also directed staff to tape and sign off the area, stop using the library entrance doors above the cistern and work with township staff to make an alternate entrance available.
“We urge Council to proceed with a guaranteed time frame contract at their Aug 4 meeting, understanding the significance of the Engineer’s deadline and the complication of the fall election disruption,” Weber wrote.
The board was explicit about what would happen otherwise.
“If this commitment is not made by Aug 4 we will close the Elgin Branch to the public, and redirect desk staff to other locations and service models,” Weber wrote.
Deputy Mayor Jeff Banks also questioned why the work had not proceeded earlier, noting the 2021 engineering recommendation called for repairs within three years.
Banks had pushed council to take another look at the proposed solution and seek a lower-cost option. He defended council’s decision to seek another price for the project, saying the revised approach had saved the township a significant amount of money.
Banks also questioned why the cistern work had not remained in the 2026 budget during the Strong Mayor budget process.
Hoogenboom did not debate the issue, noting he was chairing the meeting and had not stepped aside to participate in the discussion. He pointed councillors to the explanation already provided by staff.
The original procurement process resulted in three bids. Staff subsequently worked with Peak Contracting Solutions to reduce the cost of its proposed solution from $121,217.53 to $88,923.29 by leaving the library floor slab and steel beams in place and infilling the cistern with concrete.
Council directed staff July 6 to seek bids again with a further reduced scope of work.
The second competition produced three compliant bids: $61,050 from Covell Construction, $78,685.31 from Peak Contracting Solutions and $82,012 from Tri-Phase Group. Covell’s winning bid was more than $60,000 below the original $121,217.53 proposal.
Holmes told council Covell Construction had provided the required insurance and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board clearance, and the proposed concrete mix had been approved by the engineer. He said the contractor had been responsive to questions and staff had no reason to believe the company could not complete the work as required.
Several councillors credited Holmes and staff with finding a less expensive solution.
The project will be funded from the township’s 2026 year-end results.
The library is expected to remain open during construction. The main entrance will not be accessible, but alternate public access will be provided and interior hoarding will allow library operations to continue while the work is underway.
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Thank goodness this council will be debunked come November.
When will councils learn that deferring projects only increase the costs.
So you do not have the money now then they should keep tract of such costs.
In this case by how much have the increased? and now you pick the lowest bid, that sounds like the costs will increase significantly.
Good bye and good riddance to this council.