Duane Hicks
The Town of Rainy River has plenty on the go in 2017.
The largest project on the horizon is the complete sewer and water rehabilitation of Sixth Street.
“We did the start the preliminary work with the engineering firm,” Rainy River Mayor Deb Ewald told the Times last week.
“They’ve done their preliminary stuff.”
She added the town is close to sending out a request for proposals for the job.
The Sixth Street project is a planned follow-up to the reconstruction of Fourth Street last year.
The approximately $3.5 million project saw the complete overhaul of the sewer and water infrastructure, as well as reconstruction of the road.
“The sewer and water lines in town are over 100 years old,” Mayor Ewald noted.
“That’s the primary reason we’re doing this—they’re failing.
“There was watermain breaks and sewer line problems,” she added, noting the town will continue to overhaul the streets “as we can afford to, and as we get funding.”
After this year, the town will look to doing Second, Third, and Fifth Streets.
Mayor Ewald acknowledged it’s not easy for smaller communities to come up with their share of the funding to do these big infrastructure projects.
“Usually you have to come up with 10 percent,” she explained. “But when you have projects year after year, it gets pretty expensive.
“We’re managing okay but at some point . . . .”
Mayor Ewald stressed the town does try to use town employees and equipment when it can to defray costs, like when Rainy River built another sewer lagoon cell in 2009.
“We’ve approached the government saying, ‘We’re still hiring the same people that a contractor would,” she said.
“It’s just that when we’re doing it ourselves, we’re saving a significant amount of money right off with insurance and mobilization of equipment and stuff.
“Our crew is the one that works with the sewer and water lines all of the time,” she added.
“You’d still have to hire out your engineering and all of that kind of stuff.”
Mayor Ewald also is eager to host the Rainy River District Municipal Association’s annual general meeting Jan. 29, and especially meeting local MP Don Rusnak.
She noted Rainy River will be giving him a list of infrastructure projects.
Rainy River, in tandem with Lake of the Woods and Dawson townships, has applied for funding for an economic development officer dedicated to the west end of the district.
“That will be promising because it’s something we really need,” Mayor Ewald said.
“We have ideas but the nobody has the expertise or the time really to pursue the things that need to be pursued,” she added.
The mayor said the trio of municipalities are hoping to hear back from FedNor by the end of February.
Rainy River also has funding applications out to enhance the Hannam Park area, as well as for new signage for both ends of the town.
“Given the fact that we are the western entrance to the province and the country, we’re trying to look at something nice and splashier,” said Mayor Ewald.
“Welcome to Canada and Ontario kind of thing.”
At the most recent council meeting (Jan. 9), the town also officially lifted its “state of emergency” designation it was under since the spring of 2014.
Preliminary work in ongoing for the new bridge to Baudette, which is on target to be built in 2018.
“That’s going to pretty significant,” said Mayor Ewald.
The current bridge will remain open until the new one is built, “which is a good thing,” she noted.
“We’d have to get the barges out otherwise,” she chuckled.
The mayor also is looking forward to the Rainy River Walleye Tournament and the annual Pumpkin Festival, noting the latter is being revitalized by a dedicated group of volunteers.
Looking back at 2016, the Town of Rainy River replaced of all its street lighting under the LED program.
“We’ve recognized significant savings with that, which is good,” Mayor Ewald said.
On the downside, Mayor Ewald said 2016 brought the closure of the Rainy River Record, which had been published since 1919, and the announcement the CIBC branch there would be closing this year and moving to Emo.
