The replacement of water and sewer mains on the 300 block of 29th Street in Battleford should begin in 2016, with pavement and curbing to be done in 2017, thanks to government money coming the Town's way.
The announcement that Battleford was in on the first round of the New Building Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund came in August, but the bylaw approving the agreement wasn’t ready until council's Dec. 21 meeting.
Mayor Derek Mahon said there was some documentation that had to go back and forth regarding an environmental assessment. Fortunately, he said, it has been concluded there are no requirements under the Environment Act, "so that means full speed ahead."
Battleford's project is one of 26 projects in communities across the province to be approved for funding under the Small Communities Fund. Mahon described Battleford as "one of the lucky lottery winners in the province of Saskatchewan."
Moving forward, they don't know how the program may change, he said, referring to the change of power in the federal government. Battleford was fortunate to be "in on the first round," he said.
The project will be worth $583,463. The Town will contribute a third of that and the provincial and federal governments will contribute the other two thirds in equal shares.
The Small Communities Fund is part of the $10 billion Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component of the New Building Canada Fund, providing $1 billion to municipalities with fewer than 100,000 residents for public infrastructure projects.
Saskatchewan projects include 11 drinking water projects, 12 wastewater projects, one highway project, one disaster mitigation project and one solid waste management project. The total eligible cost of the 26 projects is $34,552,032.
The Small Communities Fund allocation for Saskatchewan is $43,665,808.
The Government of Canada will provide up to $11,517,335 through the Small Communities Fund and the Province of Saskatchewan will also contribute $11,517,335.
