ELORA – Centre Wellington councillors learned in their committee of the whole meeting on Aug. 8 just how much benefit the township has received from the slots facility that opened here in 2003.
The township gets five per cent of the total porofit of its slots facility, and of that, it pays Wellington County about 20%. Those funds go into general revenue there.
Shortly after it began receiving the payments for hosting the slots in Elora, the township council of the day decided the money would be spent on infrastructure projects.
Using its share, the township has now spent $9.84-million on infrastructure projects. Many of them were leveraged with provincial and federal infrastructure grants, so, effectively, the township was able to triple its cash value.
The spending began almost modestly in 2005 when the township used $165,000 for the Gerrie Road bridge in old Nichol, and another $364,000 for the 8th Line bridge, in old Pilkington.
In 2006, the township started in earnest working on its more than 100 bridges. It spent $747,000 for bridge inspections, bridge waterproofing and paving, capacity evaluations and deck surveys (for a total of $80,000) and $300,000 for the Middlebrook Road bridge in Pilkington, and another $367,000 for the Jones Baseline Bridge in Nichol.
In 2007, the township continued its bridge work but also spent some cash for other infrastructure.
It spend $1.5-million, and that included another $765,000 for the 8th Line bridge, $563,000 for the Gerrie Road bridge. Then it added $211,000 for the Sportsplex in Fergus.
The following year, the projects were even more spread out. Spending on the Middlebrook Road bridge continued at $388,500, and there was another $370,000 spent on the Jones Baseline bridge.
The township spent on roads with its slots cash for the first time, with $793,400 going to projects on the Melville Street storm sewer outlet in Elora, work on Melville Street to Mill Street in Elora, on Elora Street from Perth to Guelph Road in Fergus, South River Road between Fergus and Elora and 4th Line in West Garafraxa.
In 2009, the township continued with roads, bridges and other infrastructure, but also began planning for the future. It spent a total of $1.28-million. That included $350,000 for Church Street in Elora from Geddes to North Queen Street, and some minor work on a township road. The 8th Line bridge cost another $650,000 (it is the most expensive bridge in Wellington County history at a final cost of about $4-million), and another $121,000 on the Middlebrook Road bridge.
The township then set aside $50,000 each into reserves for a space needs study and for a new works garage. It added $10,000 for the BT Corner project in Fergus. It also spent $771,300 for upgrades to the Sportsplex in Fergus.
In 2010, Centre Wellington council spent a total of $1.75-million. Those major expenditures included $1.23-million for roadwork such as the Tower Street South to Highway 6 widening at $104,000, Sideroad 20 from 1st Line to 6th Line at $278,000, Sideroad 19 from Beatty Line to Highway 6 at $266,300 and road work and a culvert for $197,000 in West Garafraxa on 6th Line, as part of the road work at Sideroads 20 to 25.
The township also set aside $50,000 each for space needs reserve and another $50,000 for the central operations facility reserve.
It spent an estimated $81,000 for the purchase of Templin Gardens. Not all the costs on that purchase are in yet.
This year, the total spending jumped to $2.18-million.
That includes $1.67-million for roads projects, with the Eramosa Townline and 3rd Line culvert costing $455,000, the Nichol and Peel Townline costing $390,000, St. George Street West from Breadalbane Street to Maple Street costing $300,000 and the northwest trunk storm drain at St. Andrew Street West set at $260,000.
The township also spent $310,000 for a pumper truck replacement at the Elora Fire Station, $100,000 for the Drimmie dam project with the Grand River Conservation Authority, and another $50,000 each for the space reserve and the central operations facility.
