Duane Hicks
As the 2010 budget process moves closer to being finalized, Fort Frances town council made some additions and cuts to its capital budget during a meeting Monday.
Community Services manager George Bell requested that hazard material detection equipment be added to the budget at a cost of $6,000.
To be used by the fire department, this equipment would increase the town’s emergency response capability from an “awareness” level to an “operational” one.
To better explain the current capability level, Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft, who chairs the Community Services executive committee, said that right now, there could be a hazardous chemical spill and emergency personnel could stand back about one kilometre with binoculars to see what’s going on.
“If there are people involved at that location, all we can do is use a megaphone and holler, ‘Get out of there.’ That’s our level of protection right now,” Coun. Wiedenhoeft remarked.
“The executive committee felt that if we’re going to go to a modified operational level, this piece of equipment will allow us to identify gases that are of a concern.
“It will be a protection for our citizens, it will be a protection to our firefighters,” Coun. Wiedenhoeft added.
“The potential hazard is fairly high on a scale of probability for this community, with the amount of hazardous material that does pass through.”
Bell explained that calls for response regarding hazard materials are becoming more common in this day and age.
Firefighters, for instance, could be called on to use the equipment to detect a marijuana grow-op or at a home where there’s been a carbon monoxide alert.
Mayor Roy Avis noted trains go through town every day carrying hazardous materials, a disaster “could happen in our backyard,” and the town has to be equipped for it.
Coun. Sharon Tibbs mentioned having the equipment also helps qualified firefighters here train others.
Coun. Andrew Hallikas agreed the equipment will provide additional protection for residents and firefighters, and at $6,000, it is “a small price to pay for a relatively large gain.”
Coun. Wiedenhoeft said the equipment is the start of an upgrading process for emergency response services.
Fort Frances Fire Chief Gerry Armstrong has indicated there will be similar requests in the next couple of years, likely totalling $20,000 overall.
Council also approved several items which were in the capital budget already but needed to be confirmed so they could be purchased, or tendered, in a timely fashion prior to the budget being finalized.
These include:
•water treatment equipment for Sunny Cove Camp’s groundwater well ($5,950 plus taxes);
•upgrades to Caul Bridge ($211,500) to bring it up to provincial safety standards, including putting in new guardrails (this will be under construction for five weeks starting in July);
•upgrades to the recycling storage building ($157,250, of which $74,379 is paid for through a provincial grant) which will allow citizens to drop off all recyclables 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and
•exterior repairs and painting of the water treatment plant and Sorting Gap Marina.
Among the items cut from the capital budget was the cleaning and painting of the Portage Avenue underpass.
Council decided the painting could wait until next year given there will be construction going on near and at the underpass this year and the resulting dust would ruin the new paint job.
A second item cut was an engineering study regarding traffic control lights at King’s Highway and Webster Avenue ($5,760).
Given the number of highway traffic issues that have come up regarding that corridor (the crosswalk at McDonald’s, traffic lights, etc.), members of council agreed they shouldn’t approach it piecemeal, but take a closer look at the west-end traffic system as a whole.
This comprehensive traffic study either could be done later this year, or council could plan to do it in next year’s budget.
Another item put over to next year was the replacement of the stage floor at the Townshend Theatre.
While the town has anticipated it could replace the stage for $25,000, with $12,500 coming from the public school board and $12,500 from reserves, Bell said the school board has since indicated it felt the reserves should be used to pay for the entire cost.
Bell recommended the replacement wait until next year so the town can further discuss this with the school board.
Also removed from the capital budget was the replacement of 36 street lamps on Scott Street ($25,780).
Mayor Avis said the Fort Frances Power Corp. has agreed to take a look at ways to increase the brightness of lights in the downtown area, such as replacing bulbs, cleaning the lamps, etc.
He added the BIA, which requested the new lamps, also should look into trimming trees which may be blocking light from the lamps at night.
The capital budget includes $6.5 million in projects and purchases, ranging from road work and photocopiers to computer upgrades at the Civic Centre and a new floor for the weight at the Memorial Sports Centre.
