Park Road West will be paved to Industrial Road this year after council approved the $1.97 million tender submitted by Friesen Hauling Inc.

The additional construction will complete the final 260 metres, left after the paving is completed for the Pennco subdivision.

Friesen Hauling submitted the lowest tender for the project. Five tenders were submitted with all but one falling below the amount budgeted.

In fact, the winning bid is 22.4 percent lower than the budgeted funding amount of $2.54 million.

Coun. Susan Penner made the motion to approve, saying this is an important project.

“If we wouldn’t approve this, what it would essentially mean is that Park Road West would not be paved all the way to Industrial Road,” she said. “Hopefully this will be well received by the public. I’m sure it will be, because we’ve heard a lot about the fact that road is gravel.”

Coun. Damian Penner seconded the motion, sharing his approval that the project will be funded entirely from the capital development reserve.

“This is a testament of where having healthy reserves is a great thing for the city to have,” he said.

Coun. Bill Hiebert suggested the road will see extensive use, especially considering other planned construction.

“This is going to be a great bypass when we do the intersection of (Highway) 12 and Loewen Boulevard,” he said.

Mayor Earl Funk also weighed in on the issue.

“There have been many requests to pave this road and I think we’re doing the right thing,” he said.