FORGET lawyering, high-tech and public relations consultants.
Companies that laid turf, paved roads, fixed bridges and hauled garbage got some of the biggest contracts with local governments last year as North Shore municipalities collectively spent more than $251 million with suppliers.
As usual, the business of government itself - and payments to other governments, utility, phone and gas companies - consumed a fair chunk of change.
Think your household bills are bad? The District of West Vancouver paid $2.3 million to the Greater Vancouver Water District last year, $579,000 to Telus and $433,000 for natural gas.
Among larger municipal projects, several of those underway in 2010 were at least partially paid for by federal government stimulus funds and/or provincial grants.
The largest municipality on the North Shore, the District of North Vancouver, spent the most - $139 million - on contractors last year. Of that, $133 million was on contracts more than $25,000 in value.
Two of the district's biggest projects were the widening of Capilano Road, along with other road projects, and the installation of artificial turf at Windsor secondary.
BA Blacktop was paid more than $3.5 million by the district for road works, including the paving of Capilano Road. Columbia Bitulithic was paid more than $2.4 million for paving and related works, while C.A.P. Ventures Ltd. got almost $890,000 for curbs, gutters, sidewalks and pavement widening.
Springline Construction Services was paid $739,000 for site excavation work for the Windsor artificial turf track and field while Wilco Landscape Westcoast was paid $827,000 for various projects, including work on the Windsor field.
Cobra Electric clocked up a $600,000 bill for taking care of traffic and streetlights last year.
Ray Contracting was also paid $540,000 for various district infrastructure works.
Other spending included almost $400,000 with Commercial Equipment Corp. for dump trucks, $374,000 with Andrew Sheret Ltd. for water pipes and $365,000 with Corix Water Products for water mains, sewer fittings, valves and hydrants. The district also spent $383,000 with Microserve on computer equipment and printers.
The District of West Vancouver spent almost $66 million on suppliers last year, including $58.5 million on contracts more than $25,000 in value.
Bigger ticket items included $4.3 million to BA Blacktop for road works, $3 million for land purchases, $1.1 million to Carver Construction Ltd. for construction of the Montizambert Water Treatment Facility, $1.1 million to Emterra Environmental for garbage and yard trimmings collection and $1.1 million to Scott Interiors for work on the West Vancouver Seniors Centre activity centre.
The district also paid $895,000 to C.A.P. Ventures Ltd. for work on the artificial turf at Ambleside Field, while Cedar Crest Lands was paid $431,000 for turf for the same project.
Other items paid for by West Vancouver included $516,000 to Neelco Construction for work on the Almondel Bridge and $445,000 to Ansan Industries for traffic control.
The City of North Vancouver, the smallest municipality on the North Shore, paid more than $46 million for suppliers last year, including $42 million on contracts more than $25,000 in value.
Among the larger projects, Dominion Fairmile Construction Ltd. was paid $1.8 million for work as general contractor on the civic centre renovations while McFarlane Green Biggar was paid $429,000 for architectural services on the project.
Surespan Construction was paid $1.2 million for work on the Harbourside West pedestrian overpass and Bewicke bridge replacement while Hatch Mott MacDonald Ltd. was paid $467,000 for engineering work on the same project.
BA Blacktop was paid $881,000 by the city last year for work paving and streetscaping of the 100-block of West Second Street.
C.A.P. Ventures received $859,000 for construction of sections of the city's Spirit Trail.
The city also paid $649,000 to buy a piece of land for inclusion in Larson Park, $649,000 to BC Hydro for electricity and power pole moves and $471,000 to Universal Handling Equipment for two garbage trucks.
All of the information comes from Financial Information Act reports that municipalities are required to file within six months of their financial year-end.
