Westlock County reeve Bud Massey says they’re ruled out using the old ski chalet at Tawatinaw this season, but continue to explore other options.
“At this point in time, it’s still our belief we’ll have a ski season,” he said.
However, there was no information provided about those options at the Nov. 25 county council meeting. CAO Peter Kelly explained he did not have enough information to present to council at the meeting.
“We’re still getting data, even today there’s more data to come in,” he said. “I want to make sure we have a complete information package rather than just partial.”
After the meeting, Massey said administration has ruled out the possibility of using the old ski chalet, citing advice from the fire department, the health inspector and the county’s building permit inspector.
“Everyone is in agreement,” he said. “The primary concern has to be public safety, health and safety.”
Another option that has been considered, bringing in portable camp trailers until the new building has been completed, has come with a price tag Massey said is excessive.
“We’re still talking about portables,” he said. “The portable cost that we’ve received would likely be unpalatable for the majority of our community members. We’re talking about significant money.”
He was vague about the specific figure, but when pressed said it was well into the six-figure range.
“The figure that we have reached so far from discussion is in excess of $200,000 without the operating cost, just to have them installed,” Massey said.
Further to that would be the costs providing things like electricity, gas and water to the units. That price quote has lead to the county looking into further options for temporary structures.
“We’ve talked about the possibility of having a tent structure,” he said. “We’re still exploring.”
The new chalet, a $2 million project that was scheduled for completion last June but is facing delays due to spring runoff having flooded the crawlspace, is currently in a state of limbo.
The contractor, BRZ Architecture, has submitted that the building has reached substantial completion but the county has rejected that submission because of the ongoing need to fix the crawlspace. Furthermore, the water and sewer have yet to be hooked up, despite those components being included in the contract with BRZ.
“We’re investigating options about whether or not the new building might be usable this year, and what we would have to do to do that,” Massey said.
He has declined to speculate on any possible legal remedies to the contract issue, specifically whether the county would sue BRZ to recoup the costs associated with the building’s deficiencies, saying the county’s first priority is to get the building completed so it can be used.
Massey said he appreciates the situation is time-sensitive — the ski hill typically opens for businesses just before Christmas — but said the delays aren’t because the county’s administration is dragging its heels.
“The issue is not with our administration, the issue is with how quickly suppliers get back to us,” he said.
And in the meantime, the opening procedures at the ski hill continue unabated, with the ski patrol training taking place and artificial snow being made.
“It normally opens around Christmas time, and that’s our desire to open it then as normal,” Massey said. “It is time sensitive, but today we have no reason to disbelieve it’s going to move forward in a positive way.”
