Brockville Ontario - Critical design work on Brockville's railway tunnel project, aimed at turning the tunnel into a history-themed tourist attraction, is a step closer to happening.
 
Council's finance, administration, and operations committee is recommending the full council approve a contract with the firm Inspec-Sol Inc., for an "upset limit fee" of $132,500, not including HST, "to complete the engineering design and preparation of tender documents for the work required to open the Brockville Railway Tunnel to the public."
 
The full council is expected to put the matter to a final vote next Tuesday.
 
The contract is for preliminary work, including a cost estimate, on a larger restoration project currently expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million.
 
While project skeptic Councillor Jeff Earle questioned doing yet another study of the tunnel, the project's main proponent, Councillor David LeSueur, insisted this is not a study.
 
The work involves drawing up tender documents so contractors can bid on the work, said city operations director Conal Cosgrove.
 
Some rock and masonry needs to be stabilized, he added, and other elements of the design work involve drainage matters, public safety code requirements, and the laying of a path on the ground through the tunnel.
 
"The purpose of this work is to put all of this together in a document that can be bid on by contractors," said Cosgrove.
 
"This is the next step, actually nailing down the cost of the tunnel," added LeSueur, chairman of the Brockville railway tunnel advisory committee.
 
For now, the overall vision is of a $4 million plan to make a tourist attraction of Canada's oldest railway tunnel, which includes amenities added on to this basic restoration.
 
The tunnel committee hopes to have a small tour train taking visitors through the tunnel and to other attractions, a dining car, playground, and visitor centre, as well as a roundhouse at the north portal that could be used as a community centre.
 
It hopes to see that entire project done by 1 Jul 2017, coinciding with Canada's 150th anniversary.
 
Council has committed $300,000 toward the railway tunnel over four years starting last year, and has also included the project on its list of capital priorities.
 
Fundraising is a critical part of making the project happen, and LeSueur told the committee the tunnel group has identified a number of funding opportunities for requests.
 
He expects to hear back about those applications in six months to a year.
 
"We're going after the large amounts," said LeSueur.
 
Applying for those grants will be difficult without having this engineering design work on hand to identify the scope and nature of the project, said Councillor Jane Fullarton.
 
The Inspec-Sol bid was the middle submission, in terms of cost, of three bids, with the highest coming in at $295,715 and the lowest at $85,565.
 
Cost was only one factor city officials evaluated, looking also at such things as staff experience, references, schedule, and "demonstrated understanding of the project."
 
Funding for the design work is to come from the city's special railway tunnel capital account.

Ronald Zajac.