County of Brant Council awarded a contract for phase two of the Downtown Dig in Paris during its regular Council meeting on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.
The contract, awarded to Navacon Construction Inc., carries a price tag of $6,471,159.80 (excluding HST), and will be funded by development charges, water and wastewater reserves, capital levy and other sources.
The project will include the reconstruction of Grand River Street North, from the Nith River Bridge to 70 meters north of William Street, including replacement of underground storm and sanitary sewers and watermains, full depth roadway, intersection and sidewalk reconstruction, streetscaping, traffic signal and streetlighting upgrades.
The work is anticipated to begin this April and continue until October 31. The staff report submitted to council stated that there is a possibility of work being finalized in the spring of 2026, but it’s all dependent on how the work goes, the weather and whatever other unknowns occur with the existing older buildings and the replacement of the hydroelectric plant.
The construction contract for phase two proposes the work to be done in the following stages:
• Stage 1 – Nith River Bridge to north side of Mechanic Street
• Stage 2 – North side of Mechanic Street to south side of William Street
• Stage 3 – William Street Intersection and William Street to the William Street Bridge
• Stage 4 – North of William Street Intersection.
As part of the item’s recommendation, a one year contract for a Downtown Construction Liaison position was also approved for a cost of up to, a maximum $125,000, to be funded from the project’s capital budget and the Rural Economic Development Program grant funding.
Because the downtown will become a full construction zone with road closures, parking closures and various business interruptions, the role has been created, among other things, to help manage and respond to inquiries throughout the duration of the project.
Later, when Councillor John Peirce asked if construction would be starting at the Nith River Bridge and the north side of Mechanic Street, Mark Eby, Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management, said he couldn’t provide that information until the contract was awarded and they could contact Navacon.
“Until the report is approved, we can’t contact the contractor to start discussing what their actual schedule is. We believe that what we have proposed as stage one will likely occur first because there’s items and things that they need to order that will take time to get made,” said Eby. “…At least if they start with what we have as stage one, they can get to work right away with minimal impact. They may change, but we will have that conversation in the next couple weeks with them, and then be able to report back if there are any changes.”
Alison Newton, the County’s CAO said, added that as soon as they have the information, they will be updating the webpage with more information.
After a few more questions, the report and tender were officially awarded on a unanimous vote.
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.
