The municipality will seek funding for upgrades to a section of Elora Street in Harriston and work on the Bride Road bridge through two recently-announced federal and provincial infrastructure programs, Minto council agreed.
The projects were recommended in a staff report from CAO Bill White and treasurer Gordon Duff at the Sept. 2 town council meeting.
The report notes that on Aug. 20 Premier Kathleen Wynne provided details of “sustainable infrastructure funding” for small rural and northern municipalities:
– $100 million per year Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), which, for the first three years of the program, includes both application-based and formula-based components; and
– one intake of the Small Communities Fund (SCF) through which the provincial and federal governments will each provide up to $272 million to support projects in municipalities with populations less than 100,000 as part of the federal government’s 10-year Building Canada Fund.
Minto department heads discussed eligible projects based on a review of the town’s Bridge and Culvert Assessment completed by Burgess Engineering as well as the Roads Needs Study by Triton Engineering and recommended the following two projects be submitted:
– Elora Street in Harriston, servicing, storm water, lighting, resurfacing (Arthur to William streets); and
– Bride Road culvert between the 3rd Line and 5th Line.
Duff told the Advertiser, Minto will submit the Bride Road project under the OCIF program. The cost is estimated at $610,000, but the town has not decided what portion of that cost for which it will apply.
The cost forecast for the Elora Street project is over $2.3 million, with the county contributing a portion. Duff said the amount of funding being requested is still under discussion. “By selecting the Bride Road culvert for the merit-based portion of OCIF the town would be addressing the most critical bridge structure in the municipality,” the report states.
The report also noted if funding is obtained through the SCF, the Elora Street project will complete the town’s share of the county reconstruction project (to Arthur Street) commencing in 2015, as well as finish the portion of the connecting link between Arthur and William Streets.
To be eligible for the new formula-based funding, municipalities must have an up-to-date asset management plan and meet reporting procedures, which the town has done.
“I know it was hard to get that asset management plan done Gord, but we kept being warned that no programs were going to be happening without it, and this one definitely … but we got our ducks in a row which is a blessing,” commented Mayor George Bridge, noting the plan was done in-house.
The report states, “The budget implications of the merit based applications under SCF and OCIF will be determined in February of 2015.
“The town’s sustainable amount under the formula based component of OCIF will create a sustainable amount of about $400,000 per year that may be used in creative ways to fund future projects by the next council. Staff will monitor to see if this changes operating payments received under the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.”
Council received the joint report and approved the recommended funding submissions.
