Town council has approved a $300,000 capital project to pave the back and side parking lot at the Rec Centre.
Council is hoping to quickly have a tender to approve so the paving can be done this fall.
The issue of timing was raised by Coun. Keith Dohey prior to the project being approved at a Sept. 11 special meeting of council.
"If we go ahead with this, what are we looking at for a delivery time?" Dohey asked. "We're expecting this to be done by year end here?"
Judy Goucher, the town's senior administrative officer (SAO), noted there will be paving companies in town over the next several weeks.
"So it is our intention to seek quotes from those paving companies and it would be our intention to get this work done this fall," she said.
Earle Dumas, the town's director of projects and planning, said the paving project would have to be done as soon as possible, including a request for quotes and forgoing the 14-day period for pricing.
Dohey expressed concern that such an accelerated process might not be getting value for dollar.
Goucher assured council there would be value for dollar, noting the town could compare quotes to recent pricing for an asphalt patching program.
"So we do have a way of assessing value for money, if the bid is coming in and they are not reasonable as compared to that and the current road works," she said.
The SAO added that the town's procurement policy would be followed, but timelines would be expedited to receive quotes.
Asphalt for the back parking lot and side area of the building was not included in the contract pricing for the new Rec Centre.
According to background information for council, it was not advisable to pave the parking lot until all heavy equipment work was completed because new asphalt could be damaged by heavy equipment.
Council was also advised that a paved parking lot will help maintain the inside of the Rec Centre as there will be less gravel and mud tracked into the building during spring and fall when the current parking area is frequently wet and muddy.
Incremental funding for the project was identified from various sources in the 2018 budget.