City hall plans to spend $8.6 million next year to address transportation infrastructure such as roads, bridges and related traffic needs, according to the general capital budget.
City administration spoke about most 2022 capital projects during the Dec. 8 budget meeting. Below is a summary of some of those projects.
Transportation
The engineering department has budgeted $3 million to address roads, such as full rebuilds, isolated deep repairs, milling and paving, thin overlays, levelling, crack sealing and micro surfacing, said director Bevan Harlton.
Other initiatives include:
- $656,200 to repair sidewalks, curbs, medians and gutters, with $47,000 carried forward from this year
- $500,000 for intersection upgrades, including adding signalled pedestrian crossings, with $200,000 carried forward
- $166,800 for maintenance of lanes and gravelled roads
- $4.3 million for structure upgrades — particularly bridges — and $742,000 carried forward
About 45 per cent of this funding is for the Thunderbird Viaduct rehabilitation project, Harlton said. Since 90 per cent of the project is designed, he will present the project to Canadian Pacific Rail so it can help share costs.
Next year will also see further assessments on the viability of the Coteau Street East bridge, along with the creation of a new bridge management plan, he added.
- $500,000 for local improvement projects; this money is carry-forward
- $10,000 for professional and technical consulting services
- $25,000 for legal support
- $25,000 to purchase new downtown Christmas decorations; this will be a 10-year project
- $1,445,604 in repayments on the multiplex loan
- $69,221 to install solar panels on five city buildings
- $254,500 to renovate the police station
Other services
City hall plans to spend $300,000 to install instruments at four high priority areas where the land is slumping, with $135,000 carried forward, Harlton said.
A consultant completed the slumping strategy this year and determined there were four high priority areas, seven medium-high priority locations and 13 medium-priority locations, he continued. More instrumentation will be installed over the next few years.
“On the four locations that were identified, there’s some public infrastructure that could be at risk. There’s some Crown utilities and other park space; there’s other potential impacts,” Harlton added.
- $300,000 for major (above-ground) storm sewer upgrades and $345,000 for minor (below-ground) storm sewer upgrades, with $975,000 carried forward;
- $500,000 to install new PVC mains in areas where none existed, with $176,000 carried forward; this program also includes ongoing maintenance of roughly 2,800 water main valves and 959 fire hydrants
- $3,657,000 to enhance the city’s three water reservoirs, with $6.31 million carried forward to complete the high service pumphouse
The pumphouse will be commissioned in fall 2022, while the South Hill pump station equipment will be upgraded, said Harlton. Meanwhile, the three reservoirs provide 10.5 million gallons of water.
In an emergency, that amount of storage would supply three days of water in the summer and about a week in the winter.
- $300,000 to upgrade feeder mains, with $50,000 carried forward
- $1,642,750 to install advanced metering infrastructure, with that same amount carried forward
- $150,000 to create a strategic plan to decommission the old 600-millimetre diameter steel transmission pipeline from Buffalo Pound, with $500,000 carried forward
- $7.1 million for cast iron water main replacement, with $500,000 carried forward
Cast iron project
City hall replaced 3,000 metres of pipe this year and plans to complete a similar amount next year, said Harlton. Meanwhile, they are also upgrading sidewalks, roads, underground storm and sewer pipes and correcting deficiencies during the replacement.
This project “is near and dear to my heart,” said Coun. Heather Eby. “When we first approved it way back when, I don’t think we ever imagined the program would evolve … . It’s becoming a much more complete scope of work.”
- $350,000 to complete the new Wellesley Park lift station, with $1.45 million carried forward; half of the carry-forward is for the new Crescent View lift station, which is 60 years old and limits future community growth, especially in the agri-food industrial park
- $250,000 for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, with $400,000 carried forward
- $3.392 million for design and construction of sanitary sewer trunk mains to address future growth, with $771,000 carried forward to complete relining of pipes
- $500,000 is to address the landfill closure, with $414,500 carried forward
Together, the main spending — excluding carry-forwards — adds up to $26,239,075.
The next budget meeting is Monday, Dec. 13. The final budget meeting is likely Wednesday, Dec. 15.
