The Town of Fort Frances got a major shot in the arm last Thursday afternoon when Northern Development and Mines minister Rick Bartolucci announced a grant of $1.3 million.
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. (NOHFC), which Bartolucci chairs, is providing the $1.3 million to the town to improve roads, sewer and water, and other infrastructure in relation to the biomass boiler project at the Abitibi-Consolidated mill.
“We feel this is one of the best good news stories we’ve had in a long time,” Mayor Roy Avis said shortly after the announcement.
The major road work being funded consists of three phases to be done over two years.
Next year, Phase One will see the reconstruction of Portage Avenue from Church Street to Sixth Street (this includes replacing water and sewer infrastructure).
Then in 2009, Phase Two will see the reconstruction of Portage Avenue from Church Street to Nelson Street, then Nelson Street from Portage Avenue to Victoria Avenue, and Victoria Avenue from Nelson Street to Front Street.
Phase Three, which also will be done in 2009, will consist of reconstructing a the short span of Nelson Street from Portage Avenue to Veteran Avenue.
The upgrades are necessary to accommodate large trucks carrying waste wood to the biomass boiler that’s in the process of being built here, as well as enable the excavation of wood waste from the local landfill to be incinerated.
Bartolucci made the announcement during a ceremony last Thursday near the site of the future biomass boiler.
“We are pleased to support a municipal project that will help preserve and grow good private-sector jobs in the community over the long-term,” Bartolucci said.
“Our investment will help to significantly upgrade infrastructure that will support the efficient operation of a new alternative energy biomass [boiler] being built by Abitibi-Consolidated,” he added.
Bartolucci said he was “incredibly impressed” with the “very confident, very co-operative, and very dedicated approach to finding resolution with regards to this project” exhibited by town council and administration and Abitibi management.
“This project can be the beacon with which we provide hope to northerners throughout our wonderful part of the province,” he remarked.
Mayor Avis noted the town first began the process of getting the funding back in February when Bartolucci met with town reps to discuss important initiatives within the community.
“At that time, we asked Minister Bartolucci to support our application for the Rural Infrastructure Investment Initiative for our underpass project,” the mayor noted.
“We were successful with that application and subsequently received $1.06 million.
“We also discussed the need to upgrade roads to the biomass boiler to facilitate the travel of large trucks carrying fuel materials from the landfill,” the mayor added.
“Minister Bartolucci was very supportive of the town’s efforts to work with Abitibi on this important project, and urged us to submit an application to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund for infrastructure upgrades.
“In my conversations with Minister Bartolucci, I have found him to be very engaged on forestry issues and a passionate advocate for Northern Ontario,” Mayor Avis continued.
“Without the funding support from the provincial government, we would be hard-pressed to undertake this project now known as the ‘Abitibi Alternative Energy Project.’”
Mayor Avis also thanked Abitibi “for their commitment to our community by undertaking this initiative.”
“Through the efforts of mill administration and the commitment from the local mill unions to the project, Fort Frances has a good news forestry story,” he remarked.
“We are grateful for our good fortune and well aware of the town’s responsibility to work with Abitibi on this important project.”
Fort Frances CAO Mark McCaig, who cited local Ministry of Northern Development and Mines officer Jane Gillon, along with town managers George Bell and Doug Brown, as instrumental in preparing the application for the NOHFC funding, echoed the mayor’s sentiments with regards to the partnership with Abitibi.
“It’s important to note that every aspect of this project, the town has tried to work hard with Abitibi,” said McCaig.
“This project, needless to say, is critical to the ongoing viability of the paper mill in Fort Frances and, in turn, the economy of our area,” he stressed. “The forestry industry in Fort Frances is a good news story, and that is not lost on us.
“We are very thankful for our good fortune, and we’re very thankful for people like Minister Bartolucci, who has been a champion for the north and an advocate for the north, coming here today to make an important announcement.”
In addition to the undertaking of the “Abitibi Alternative Energy Project,” Mayor Avis said the town has made several other commitments to the biomass project, including:
•the provision of municipal services related to the project to a limit of $100,000;
•the provision of a building permit, for the construction, at no cost (the permit has an estimated value of $70,000);
•the sale of portions of Portage Avenue and Sinclair Street to Abitibi at no cost (the estimated value of these properties is $215,336); and
•the approval of the implementation of the Community Incentive Plan (CIP), providing tax relief of 75, 50, and 25 percent in the first three years of operation of the facility (the future value of this tax incentive plan could be significant based on the future assessed value).
At Thursday’s announcement, local mill manager John Harrison stressed the role of teamwork in making the biomass project become a reality.
“This construction that we see behind us is the fulfillment of a vision we had over two years ago and that we’ve pursued ever since,” he noted.
“That the vision has come to fruition is a direct result of the co-operative efforts of all of the employees of the Fort Frances Division, the Ontario government, and the Town of Fort Frances, in presenting to Abitibi-Consolidated a high-return strategic energy project.”
Harrison also re-emphasized the importance of the success of the biomass project for Fort Frances and the district.
“The biomass boiler is going to put the Fort Frances Division on a solid base of affordable steam and electricity for the future,” he said.
“By utilizing wood waste to generate steam, we are going to dramatically reduce our manufacturing costs. Repositioning ourselves from an energy cost standpoint was critical for the future of the division.
“This biomass boiler project helps secure the employment of those working in the Fort Frances mill and, in turn, those who work in the forest and in all the support services that we enjoy here,” Harrison continued.
“It impacts directly the well-being of every one of us in the area.
“In addition, there will be new job creation from the harvesting and transportation of biomass to the new site from across the region.”
The biomass burner project is an $84-million investment by Abitibi, converting the co-gen facility from natural gas to biomass fuel to reduce energy costs, enhance profitability, and create up to 100 new full-time jobs while retaining more than 1,000 positions in the mill and district woodlands.
The project was given the green light back in March, coinciding with a announcement for a significant amount of provincial funding.
“Earlier this year, we were delighted to announce our support of Abitibi-Consolidated’s biomass project with $22 million in funding from the Forestry Sector Prosperity Fund,” Natural Resources minister David Ramsay said in a press release issued Thursday.
“Today’s announcement builds on that investment.
“The McGuinty government is empowering communities like Fort Frances and industries in their pursuit of leading edge, envrionmentally-responsible technologies that will promote prosperity in the future,” Ramsay added.
Fort Frances Times
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