The City of Kimberley has several major projects included in the 2019-2023 Capital Plan including the new Waste Water Treatment Facility (WWTF), construction of 4th Avenue and a major re-vamp of the Civic Centre.
Chief Financial Officer Jim Hendricks says that over $72 million is projected to be spent over the next five years, with a large majority of the funds ($46.5 million) going towards the new Waste Water Treatment Facility design and construction.
Hendricks says that the design work on the new WWTF is slated for 2019, while construction is slated for 2023. 83 per cent of the design budget will be funded through grants.
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He adds that the Ministry of Environment has documented concerns with the age, condition, location, capacity, operability and redundancy of the existing Pollution Control Centre and its ability to meet federal treatment standards.
“The objective of this project is to develop and design a solution that will address performance, reliability, environmental and regulatory requirements through a consultative planning process that considers broader community factors,” wrote Hendricks in the report. “[Consulting] will deliver accurate cost estimates to inform future grant applications for broader community factors, and will deliver accurate cost estimates to inform future grant applications for construction of the new WWTF.”
Construction on 4th Ave, from Boundary Street to Trail Street, is also planned for 2019/2020 at a total cost of $1,183,179.
“Improvements in storm water and snow melt catchment will be made to improve erosion control and safety, and curbing will be installed where needed to control storm water runoff throughout this section,” wrote Hendricks. “This project will also see the alignment of 4th Avenue adjusted slightly to improve drivability and provide increased safety for motorists. The road base and sub base will also be reconstructed to increase longevity of the roadway prior to repaving.”
$964,041 of the 4th Ave project is being funded from the Flat Tax Reserve, $200,000 from the GST Capital Rebate Reserve and the remaining $199,138 will come from the General Infrastructure Renewal Reserve.
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A major re-vamp of the Civic Centre’s ice surface and boards is planned for next year as well, at a cost of $1.2 million. The City recently applied to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s Community Culture and Recreation grant which, if received, will cover 73.33 per cent of the cost.
Brett Clark, Manager of Parks and Facilities says the project is long overdue and will improve all of the activities that take place at the Civic Centre.
“With the addition of the new north wall and other upgrades [that] the Civic Centre has seen in the recent years, this will be the one that’s going to put that building over the top and make it pretty much like new,” said Clark. “It will be huge for the community.”
corey.bullock@kimberleybulletin.com
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