At the Shawville municipal council meeting on Sept. 9, council approved a slew of contracts for winter road maintenance as well as heating oil and fuel supplies.
For the service of blowing snow, which is needed about four to six times a season to remove accumulated snow from the town’s streets, council accepted Smiley Bros Agri-Services Inc. bid for $375/hr plus tax for the next three seasons, with stipulations that the municipality retain the right to use its own equipment to load and remove snow.
The hourly rate applies to a 10-hour minimum standby charge for the months of December, January
and February. The resolution notes that the contractor must make the municipality a priority for snow removal, with public works staff giving as much advance notice as possible.
For the service of hauling snow cleared by the snowblower, council approved a list of trucking contractors and their various rates, with the
town foreman responsible for calling whoever is required and available at the moment, in order of cheapest to most expensive. Rates vary by company and size of truck, but are in the $125 to $140/hr range.
Shawville mayor Bill McCleary estimated that the municipality needs snow loading services around four to six times per year and said around five or six trucks are needed each time.
“It’s quite expensive because you’re paying them, it’s usually six, seven hours when they load,” he said. “We don’t like big snowfalls.”
Council also approved a contract from Entreprises Brian Stanton Ltée for $125/hr for a bulldozer that will be used to at the snow dump for this winter.
For heating oil, choosing from two bids, Shawville awarded the three-year (2025-2028) heating oil contract to MacEwen Petroleum, which offered the town a discount of -$0.0235 per litre on the daily rack published price.
McCleary said that the municipality uses oil to heat the town garage, the fire hall and the arena.
For diesel, the contract also went to MacEwen, with a discount of -$0.0235 per litre on daily rack published price. McCleary noted that the price included a tank as well.
For sand mixing, piling, and hauling, council received four bids, though two were deemed ineligible for not providing sand samples.
Of the eligible suppliers, council accepted Entreprises Brian Stanton Ltée.’s bid of $12.50/metric ton
(plus tax and delivery) for the 2025/26 winter season.
The tender for salt for the 2025/26 winter season once again went to Compass Minerals, which had the lowest rate of $122.88/ton (plus tax and delivery).
