Council here directed staff to apply for funding for a water tower in Drayton, under a newly-announced provincial infrastructure program.
On Nov. 15, the Ontario government announced a $51million grant program, the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII) a capital program for roads, bridges, water and wastewater projects. The funding is targeted at projects deemed high priority in municipal asset management plans that would not be completed without provincial financial support. Municipalities have until Jan. 9, to submit an “expression of interest” in the funding program, with a full application process to follow.
“The funding is quite different from previous funding programs in that the share of provincial funding that may be requested is flexible up to a maximum of 90 per cent of total project costs or $2 million, whichever is lower,” explained CAO Patty Sinnamon in a report to council. “Only one expression of interest may be submitted per municipality. The program is also unique in that municipalities may also submit joint applications with other municipalities for a joint project.”
Council agreed with a staff recommendation that an application be submitted for a new water tower in Drayton.
Sinnamon pointed out that during a previous presentation the township’s engineering firm indicated current water pressure in the Glenaviland subdivision and the industrial park is a concern with respect to fire fighting.
“With an additional 116 residential units to be built in the subdivision and 25 acres more of industrial land to be serviced, we believe this would have the highest health and safety priority for council to address within the immediate future,” she stated in her report.
Sinnamon said the municipality is currently gathering the engineering information needed to determine the potential cost of the project in order to prepare the MIII application. That information is expected to be available for council at the Dec. 11 meeting.
The requirement for projects to be part of a completed municipal asset management plan, means a plan must be completed in order to be considered for funding. Sinnamon told council that an expression of interest for funding to complete the asset management plan was submitted in October. No word has been received on that funding. An asset management fund has to be either completed at the time of submission, or a declaration filed indicating that it will be completed by Dec. 31, 2013. Sinnamon estimated the plan will cost between $20,000 and $30,000 to complete.
“If funding is not received for the asset management plan, this will need to come from general taxation,” she noted.
