Centre Wellington Township has been trying for several years to obtain funding for the sewage treatment plant here – and it finally got it.
The township will receive a $1 million grant and another $10 million in a low-interest loan to build the plant.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) president Berry Vrbanovic made the announcement at the recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in London last week.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj told her council about the grant and loan at a special council meeting on Aug. 25. She said the township’s development charges will easily handle the loan repayment, and there will be no burden on taxpayers or users for the new plant.
She estimated that plant could cost $16 or $17 million, and noted the township “already saved $6 million from our dedicated development charges” to pay that balance.
“We’ve always said we’ve looked for a funding model, and now we’ve got it,” said Ross-Zuj, who was elected to the board of the FCM earlier this year.
The Elora sewage treatment plant qualified for FCM funds earmarked for environmental projects. The township had applied several times for infrastructure grants but was rejected every time.
Ross-Zuj said the project will likely get underway later this year.
