Township of Blandford-Blenheim Council accepted two different tender bids and approved the purchase of new equipment during its regular council meeting on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
Princeton fire station tender
Out of the 13 bids that were submitted for the project, the contract was awarded to Abcott Construction Ltd. and carries a price tage of $2,563,087.00 (excluding HST).
In addition to the main cost, Nelson Dawley Engineering, who is providing the project management and engineering services, also highlighted the following extra costs:
• An estimated $100,000 for: gear washing equipment, gear racking, radio and antenna/communications equipment, security, FOB system, phone/communication systems, portable tables and stackable chairs, office desks and chairs, a refrigerator, range, dishwasher and window coverings.
• An estimated $50,000 for: electrical service and transformer (Hydro One).
• An estimated $50,000 for: Enbridge cost of new service to property.
• Contingency for potential unknown changes (including site conditions) at $70,000
In all, the total estimated cost in addition to the tender will be around $270,000.
As far funding the project goes, Denise Krug, the Township’s Director of Finance and Treasurer has noted that financing of this project has been budgeted as such: around $300,000 from reserves, $200,000 from development charges, and $2 million through debentures.
While an application has been submitted for external grant funding in support of the work, if the Township does not receive it, Krug has said that an additional $300,000 will need to be debentured to help support the $270,000.
“Prospective grant funds and proceeds from the future sale (if applicable) from the existing Fire Station facility would be applied toward debenture repayment,” read the report from Drew Davidson, Director of Protective Services. “Relatedly, future development charges collected can be used towards debenture payments (comprising an additional $660,000).”
Now that the tender has been accepted, the approximate start date for construction is September 2025, and the substantial project completion in 2026.
“I’m very happy to present this tender result,” said Davidson. “I think it’s very good for the Township, the firefighters and generations of firefighters to come.”
Motor grader tender
During the Wednesday meeting, Council approved a tender bid for a new motor grader.
The Township has its life expectancy on graders currently set at 15 years. Given that its 2007 140H CAT grader is now 18-years-old and has over 10,000 hours on it, it’s time to replace it.
The grader that is up for a replacement is four-wheel drive (4WD), however the Township also owns two others which are six-wheel drive (AWD).
Jim Borton, Director of Public Works, said that while 4WD is an adequate machine, the AWD graders are more stable and offer more control for the operator.
“The current two models that we have are all-wheel drive, or six-wheel drive graders, and they do give us better control, especially when we’re out ice blading or in general construction,” he told Council. “You can compare it to a rear-wheel drive car and four-wheel drive vehicle, which is certainly more stable in some of the conditions that we’re operating these machines in.”
With that in mind, staff asked Brandt (John Deere) and Toromont CAT for pricing on both versions, including the $30,000 roller unit.
In the end, Council accepted Brandt’s tender for the supply and delivery of a new 2025 John Deere 772G (AWD) motor grater for $569,900.00 (not including HST).
Going forward, staff will investigate selling its old grader through auction for an estimated $115,000.00, however if they are unable to get a decent price for the machine, the Township will accept Brandt’s trade in value offer of $90,000.00.
Tandem truck and plow equipment
In accordance with the Township’s tandem truck replacement schedule being every ten years, Blandford-Blenheim’s Public Works department is scheduled to replace a tandem truck in 2026.
Borton explained that the Township will need to get on the wait list to ensure the building and the delivery of a 2026 tandem truck with plow equipment, as staff have discovered that it could take between 12 to 18 months to get the equipment.
On top of that, there are concerns that tariffs could cause delays and in order to help with efficiencies the municipality is looking to obtain the 2026 tandem truck and plow equipment through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) Canoe Procurement group of Canada
“This group essentially does the tender process for Municipalities. This is giving Municipalities better buying power as a supplier is now pricing many units as opposed to a single unit,” read Borton’s report. “This process is to ensure that the Municipalities are receiving the best possible pricing available. The Township is a member of the Canoe Procurement group of Canada. The Public Works department is currently purchasing fuel and tires through the program and have realized efficiencies by using it.”
As far as pricing for the new tandem truck and plow equipment, the Township’s 2026 budget allows for a purchase of $425,000.00, and the total cost estimate for the equipment is $421,858 (excluding HST).
In the end, Council gave staff the direction to have the Township put on the wait list and to go forward with the purchase arrangement through Canoe.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
