The project was estimated at $7.9 million. Acting Mayor Kate Akagi told The Courier back in July \u201cif it is over our price line, we won\u2019t be doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several councillors expressed they felt they couldn\u2019t support moving forward based on the overall costs of the project.<\/p>\n
Coun. Darrell Weare said given his experience, he expected the project to come in over tender.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, I know deep inside, I\u2019m making the right decision, no question,\u201d he said to a packed council chamber, which was met with applause.<\/p>\n Coun. Kurt Gumushel also voted in favour of cancelling the tender despite his earlier assertions the project had to move forward.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there was no chance to pump the brakes on this project, I would wholeheartedly support awarding the tender at this time,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, given the information that the deadline for the federal funding is not a hard deadline, I think we can hold off on awarding the tender and revisit some of the design phase based on the significant public pushback.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were going to do the visioning exercise for what the wharf and the town square would look like after the project was done when we should have started with the vision exercise \u2026 so that was a bit of a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n Gumushel did warn that if the wharf \u201cdid fall into the sea,\u201d he wanted the public to know that he did everything he could to \u201cquickly and efficiently\u201d rebuild the wharf.<\/p>\n Acting Mayor Kate Akagi said the council always knew if it came in over tender, the project wouldn\u2019t move forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting dozens of letters, pro and against, the wharf,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re not letting the wharf go, it is an asset for the town, for the municipality of Saint Andrews, so we need it.\u201d<\/p>\n In June, council was told by town staff the money needed to be spent and the project underway by March 2026, which was one of the reasons the council pushed ahead with the project despite feedback from the community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can continue doing the project if it is in place and moving forward past the March 2026 deadline, because we\u2019re showing we\u2019re finishing the project,\u201d said Paul Nopper, the town\u2019s former clerk. \u201cBut basically we\u2019ve been told, March 2026, if you haven\u2019t done anything, you lose the funding.\u201d<\/p>\n On Sept. 3 and 4, The Courier reached out to the other two levels of government involved in providing and allocating the money for those projects.<\/p>\n The federal government said it had imposed no deadline on the projects in Saint Andrews, apart from the October 2033 set out in the bilateral agreement.<\/p>\n The province\u2019s Regional Development Council also confirmed the deadline was not March 2026, but March 2027. It also stated that could be extended if the municipality provided a justifiable reason.<\/p>\n It confirmed the town wouldn\u2019t lose the funding either if an extension application was filed, provided it was \u201csubstantially\u201d completed by the 2033 deadline.<\/p>\n Some councillors had cited this was a significant part of rationale for moving forward with the design. The council was informed of the \u201cflexibility\u201d in the deadline by Chief Administrative Officer Chris Spear on Sept. 8.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do have some extra time potentially but it doesn\u2019t change the underlying facts,\u201d he told the council in the meeting. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t what I thought it was a month ago,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have a little more flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Akagi, who only became acting mayor in June due to a resignation from Brad Henderson, said she is unaware of where the original March 2026 date originated from.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it was government changes or whatever, we were following what we knew was correct,\u201d she said. \u201cStaff and ourselves, we are trying to get our wharf to a point where we could use it all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n At multiple points during the meeting, the crowd clapped in response to various councillors\u2019 answers. The reaction following the unanimous vote was jubilant.<\/p>\n David Bizzo said he thinks the vote was the greatest thing that has ever happened to Saint Andrews.<\/p>\n \u201cAll they have to do is fix the wharf. They do not have to put four more Market Squares in there with all this asphalt, concrete and stone,\u201d he said. \u201cWe won for a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n Steve Saunders, an engineer and resident in the town, has opposed the project.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good guys won,\u201d he said. \u201cSo rare.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he believes the town needs to hire a more reliable engineering company and bring in someone who can provide a quality design for the wharf.<\/p>\n \u201cDefacing the whole town with this whole pile of rocks, it was going to be their legacy, and it wasn\u2019t going to be a really good future.\u201d<\/p>\n Jessie Davies brought several signs to the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cNo infill. Preserve the beauty and heritage of Saint Andrews,\u201d one sign said. \u201cDeadline? March 2026. No more Bum\u2019s Rush!\u201d<\/p>\n She said she thinks people are happy with the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believed the council listened to the community,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re really happy they\u2019re dedicated to the wharf and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n Akagi said the next step is to assess the wharf damage, which the council believes could be extensive. No assessment has been done since 2018.<\/p>\n It remains unclear if the current council will be the one to decide the final outcome of the wharf before the general election in May 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to work together. We have to collaborate to make it work, if we\u2019re divided, it won\u2019t work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/chco.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4236-300x225.jpg\")
Deadline contradicted<\/b><\/h2>\n
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