Duane Hicks
Taking a first look at the $16.4-million capital budget during a four-hour special meeting Monday, mayor, council, and administration are off to a good start deciding what the town needs now—and which projects can wait until next year and beyond.
Several projects already have been given a tentative green light. The largest one is a new Zamboni for the Memorial Sports Centre, valued at $86,000.
Community Services manager George Bell said the way the machines have to go up and down ramps at the two ice surfaces is hard on them. The current one is nine years old, and will be kept around as a back-up.
Other line items to stay for now include:
•computer upgrades for all divisions ($20,000);
•breathing apparatus, communications equipment, facility repairs, infrared cameras, and water/ice rescue unit equipment for the Fire and Rescue Service ($56,000);
•motorized dampers for the heating system at the Fort Frances Children’s Complex ($5,000);
•an ice painter for the Memorial Sports Centre ($5,000);
•weight room floor replacement at the Sportsplex ($12,000);
•filing cabinets for the Planning and Development division ($750);
•a back-up power system for the Civic Centre so it can reliably act as an emergency control centre ($60,000, although savings may be realized through a partnership with the Fort Frances Power Corp. or a Joint Emergency Preparedness Fund grant); and
•contributions from the Community Services and Planning and Development divisions for the ongoing GIS project ($15,000 so far).
Some projects that may go ahead include:
•a command trailer for Fire and Rescue Services (this $84,748 item would depend on a grant from the Joint Emergency Preparedness Fund);
•equipment and furnishings for the Children’s Complex (these depend on funding from DSSAB); and
•the repair of the fuel storage tank at the Sorting Gap Marina (this will be reviewed by the Community Services executive committee).
This last item, which Bell noted “has to be done,” was debated for a short time Monday evening as Mayor Roy Avis asked how much money is made from the sale of fuel there and if it was worth continuing the service.
Bell noted a maximum of 30,000 litres are sold per year there, and no profit is made from those sales. But he questioned the purpose of having a marina if boat fuel isn’t sold there.
Coun. Ken Perry suggested the town get out of the gas business so that a private enterprise to come in and take it over.
Coun. Paul Ryan noted it is estimated it will cost about $35,000 to repair the current underground fuel storage tank, and said the town should find out how much a new above-ground fuel tank would cost as these ones tend to have fewer problems and are easier to fix.
He added the tank could be fenced in, and that the fence be covered with ivy for aesthetic purposes.
“If you’re selling a commodity and losing money, is it worth it?” wondered Mayor Avis.
One item cut from the capital budget, at least for this year, is new tennis courts ($220,000), which would be built near Fort Frances High School.
With the current tennis courts in a state of disrepair, Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft said he hasn’t given up on trying to get new ones built.
He added the public school board is aware that if new tennis courts are built, they’d be paying for half of it, and he’s hopeful it would be willing to partner on such a project in the future.
Four courts would be built at an estimated cost of $440,000 (the $220,000 represents the town’s half).
But Coun. Wiedenhoeft noted that for the purposes of this budget, the item could be taken off the table since the school board probably will be too busy with the new Robert Moore School project in the near future.
While some councillors questioned how much the current tennis courts are used and how popular they could be expected to be, others noted that if they courts were in good shape now, people would use them—and that new courts would renew interest in the sport.
Meanwhile, Bell said the current tennis courts have become “a serious health and safety issue” and need to be closed this year. Eventually, they will paved over and become part of the parking lot for the new Fort Frances Public Library and Technology Centre.
Other items cut from the capital budget so far include:
•bicycle storage stations (a $6,000 project that likely will be revisited by the active transportation committee);
•a guard rail for the Civic Centre roof ($38,000);
•funding for a fire training facility ($8,000);
•rescue tool replacement ($5,000); and
•hazardous material operations equipment ($5,000).
Tenders soon will be going out on a couple of major projects, including Phase II of the Heritage Tourism Project and the Fort Frances Public Library and Technology Centre, so up-to-date costs for these—and the town’s corresponding shares—won’t be know until early March for the former and Feb. 24 for the latter.
While most councillors agreed they’ll have to wait until “hard numbers” come in, as errors in estimates do occur, both projects have significant funding behind them already and need to get done.
For example, Coun. Ryan noted if the town does not end up retaining Pithers’ Point later this year, the Hallett and lookout tower will have to be moved somewhere anyway—why not just move them once as part of the Heritage Tourism Project?
As for the library, Mayor Avis said all parties involved have shown “caution and due diligence” so far, and the library board and fundraising campaign have fulfilled their commitment to the project.
“It’s time we have to move forward and try to come up with a program this year get this building moving,” he remarked.
Prior to any cuts made Monday, the capital budget consisted of $16.4 million worth of purchases and projects.
While about $12 million of this is covered by donations, fundraising, interest, federal and provincial grants, other contributions, project-specific reserve funds, and, in some cases, water and sewer reserve funds and water and sewer rates, another $4 million of the financing currently is undecided, meaning council will have to decide whether to resort to long-term debt, taxation, drawing on reserves, or a blend of two or three sources to pay for the balance.
The next special committee of the whole meeting on the 2009 budget is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 2.
At this time, work on the capital budget will continue, with the Operations and Facilities division still needing to be covered.
