ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD - A construction boom that will expand housing options in the hamlet is currently underway in Fort Liard.

Beaver Enterprises L.P. has been contracted by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to build 11 units this season. The units include three duplexes, one with two bedrooms and two with three bedrooms, as well as five detached houses.

"Everybody is looking forward to the new houses," said Wayne Newbury, manager of construction for Beaver.

In addition to the new buildings Beaver has also been contracted to do repairs on six existing units. Work on the contract began in early June when repairs were started on the empty units, Newbury said.

As of July 13 a two-bedroom duplex on Birch Road was up and the plumbing was being installed. Four of the foundations for the single houses have also been poured and the floors were expected to go on this week.

Depending on the weather and availability of the materials, all of the units are scheduled to be completed by mid-October, Newbury said.

"It's keeping Beaver busy," he said.

Along with the finished product of the new units the hamlet is also benefiting from the employment the contract is generating, said Newbury. Taurus Contractors Ltd. of Edmonton has the sub-contract and Wade's Plumbing and Heating of Fort Liard is doing all the mechanical work on the units. Kiwi Electric Ltd. of Fort Simpson will be doing the electrical components.

One of Beaver's mandates for the project is to train and employ local residents. Currently there are five residents working as labourers, a number that could rise up to 10 as the units progress, he said. One resident is also doing his carpentry apprenticeship on the project.

The 11 units are part of a construction backlog.

Over the past few years the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has been unable to build a number of home ownership and social housing units in the hamlet because of challenges related to awarding the contracts, said Chris Hewitt, the corporation's district director.

The contracts were tendered publicly and either no bids were received or the bids were over budget, Hewitt said. Beaver approached the corporation with a proposal that resulted in a negotiated contract to build the units and do the repairs.

Negotiated contracts generally aren't the first route the corporation takes but they are used in cases where units need to be built and the public tendering process is unsuccessful, he said.

The contract also has a training component that will allow the local housing division to develop so it can manage future housing contracts and develop a local labour force, Hewitt said.

As for the units, the duplexes will be used as social housing units and managed by the hamlet of Fort Liard. The houses will be offered as home ownership units.

"There is definitely a demand for housing in the community," said Hewitt.

None of the units have been allocated yet, but there is a waiting list for the social housing program and some residents have completed applications for the home ownership program, Hewitt said. The district director added that he expected all units to be allocated quickly once the proper policies are followed.

Of the repaired units, three are cases where the homeowners applied under the corporation's repair program. The other three are housing corp assets.

Now that the building backlog has been addressed, the corporation plans to publicly tender more home owner repair contracts this summer and is considering building an additional two home ownership units in the hamlet, said Hewitt.