Duane Hicks
The town could be fixing up the overpass over the CN tracks as one of its next road projects.
Council agreed last night to apply to the MTO’s “Connecting Links” highway program for funding to do the design and engineering work to rehabilitate the east-end structure.
If the funds are granted, the plan is to do the design and engineering process next year and then apply for a second round of funding to do the actual work in 2017, Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown said in a written report to council.
The overpass initially was built in 1982.
It is common that the first rehabilitation work on such a structure take place around the 35-year mark, noted Brown.
The “Connecting Link” program provides funding for eligible capital improvement costs.
Projects will be funded up to 90 percent, to a maximum of $3 million of eligible project costs.
However, there are 77 municipalities in Ontario and only $15 million available in 2016 to complete capital improvements, Brown warned.
Each municipality can submit one project per year, with MTO priorizing those that meet its objectives and focus on addressing critical and urgent connecting link needs first.
The program provides funding for the design, construction, renewal, rehabilitation, and replacement of “Connecting Link” highway infrastructure.
In other news, council heard a verbal report from CAO Mark McCaig, who stressed the town needs to advocate for a new Crown Attorney in Fort Frances.
Current Crown Attorney Robert “Buster” Young is set to retire soon and there’s no indication he is to be replaced, noted McCaig.
Meanwhile, Joerg Ruppenstein, CEO and president of the Fort Frances Power Corp., said residential customers’ bills will go up an average of 13.5 percent next year.
The cost of electricity for town facilities will jump 16.9 percent.
The province-wide increases are due to rate adjustments which are out of the FFPC’s control.
FFPC rates remain the lowest in the province.
