Centre Wellington council is submitting an expression of interest for capital funding under the Ontario Small, Rural and Northern Municipal Infrastructure Fund for the replacement of a bridge in the West Garafraxa portion of Centre Wellington.
Managing director of corporate services Wes Snarr said in a report the province announced the program on Oct. 4 and a program manual was available.
“It was widely expected that the current lottery-based approach to capital program funding would be replaced with a sustained formula of an annual fixed amount per municipality plus the balance of total program funding distributed proportionately based on population,” Snarr said.
“This did not happen.”
He added the program differs from the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII) capital program only with respect to a listing of specific items in the program manual.
Snarr noted that last December council directed staff to apply for funding under the MIII program for the replacement of bridge structure 16-WG, which is located on the 5th Line between Sideroad 15 and Wellington Road 19, southwest of Belwood, in former West Garafraxa.
Now, it is staff’s recommendation that the township re-apply for funding of the same project, he said.
Snarr noted that if the application is successful, it will enable the township to use capital reserves to leverage funding from the province to replace a high priority bridge.
Based on an estimated project cost of $1.6 million and 90 per cent funding, the township’s contribution to the project would be $160,000.
Snarr’s report states it is the highest priority bridge based on the 2012 biennial bridge inspections report. The structure, which has a posted limit of 15 tonnes, is to be considered for closure in the report.
The report recommends immediate strengthening of the spandrels to mitigate the risk of sudden collapse without warning. The report also recommends replacing the structure rather than rehabilitation.
Closure of this bridge will severely limit access to the northwest quadrant of former West Garafraxa, west of Wellington Road 19. This will increase response time for emergency vehicles and result in a 9km detour for local traffic and school buses.
Councillor Walt Visser asked director of infrastructure Colin Baker why the funding application was not for a bridge currently closed.
Baker explained the West Garafraxa bridge is the same project brought before council in December. That application failed and to maintain consistency, the idea was to re-apply for the same structure, he said.
“We’ve looked at the priority of each structure across the township and that one is higher ranking in terms of priorities compared to structures currently closed in the nearby vicinity,” said Baker.
Criteria included detour lengths and emergency vehicle response times for those living in the area.
Visser suggested the bridge on the 20th Sideroad would be more crucial.
Councillor Kelly Linton said the idea is to get 90% of the project funded through the grant.
“Have we gotten any indication as to whether that is realistic?” Linton asked.
Baker said, “We looked at the eligibility criteria for the program. It is very vague as to the type of projects they are looking to fund.”
However, from a staff perspective, “we feel this is a very important project to get at.”
Linton said if council asks for 90% and the province says no, “could we ask for 70% … or are we just out of luck.”
Snarr explained the process is similar to the previous grant process in which grant applications are made and the province selects some of them.
“If the question is whether the percentage can be negotiated – the answer is no,” said Snarr.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj noted the entire grant process was a big discussion at AMO.
“There was a push to take the competitive nature out of the fund allocation process – and give a certain amount to every municipality. That didn’t fly,” Ross-Zuj said.
“[The province] holds all the cards when it comes to who will get funding and how much will be given.”
At the same time, the mayor agreed it was a valid point.
“There could be a better deal to be struck, but they are not giving anyone an edge.”
Ross-Zuj said federal grant applications are due in March, which gives council a bit more time to prepare.
