After collecting storm damage reports over the last week, town council will decide tonight whether to go ahead and apply for disaster relief funding from the province.
The town had been encouraging municipal departments, organizations, and residents to bring their damage reports to the Civic Centre in order to assess whether or not Fort Frances could qualify for the financial relief.
Although a number of residents reported uninsured property damage, Mayor Glenn Witherspoon indicated little damage was reported from the town’s departments.
“The amount of information we received has not been that great, especially from our [staff] as a municipality,” he said.
The council meeting gets underway at 8 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
During today’s committee of the whole meeting, which gets underway downstairs at 5:30 p.m., councillors will discuss the effluent leak that flooded several backyards in the north end last Thursday morning
“We’ll discuss it just to bring the rest of council up to speed,” said Mayor Witherspoon.
Residents in the Walker Avenue area were given damage claim forms over the weekend and have been updated regularly throughout the cleanup.
“As soon as the exact make-up of the effluent is determined, it’s been sent to a lab, they’ll get that in layman’s terms,” noted the mayor.
Also today, the committee of the whole will:
•discuss the lawsuit involving the Borderland Hockey School/Terry Mihichuk in camera (behind closed doors);
•receive an update on the construction of the Canada Customs and Immigration facility here;
•consider a lease agreement with Prairie Communications for space on the Fort Frances water tower;
•look at strategic planning proposals; and,
•receive information regarding the June standoff at the Fort Frances Jail.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
