The City of North Battleford has made a major Building Canada application for major infrastructure projects in the city.
The grant application was confirmed by civic officials at Monday’s council meeting. According to Director of Finance David Gillan, the City submitted two applications earlier in the day.
One was for a Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component grant for drinking water infrastructure and associated works from the New Building Canada Fund.
The application would be an expansion of what was discussed in the budget, explained Gillan.
Administration officials had raised alarm bells during those deliberations about the need to replace underground cast iron pipes in excess of 60 years old, as well as asphalt across North Battleford, to tackle the infrastructure deficit facing the city.
City officials called for pipe replacement to happen at a rate of 2.9 kilometres a year instead of the current .5 kilometre rate, simply to get a handle on the infrastructure deficit in that area.
Gillan explained the federal government is particularly interested in underground needs and so the City’s application is being tailored to underground pipes.
If successful, the work would be funded one-third by the federal government, one-third by the province and one-third by the City over a 10-year period. The grant application is for $90 million, with the City responsible for $30 million over a 10-year period, or $3 million annually.
"It’s 33 cent dollars for us. If we get anything, it's worth applying for," said Gillan.
Gillan later stated that the $90 million total would address 47 kilometres of underground work over the next decade.
The City is limited to two grant applications this year, so it was determined that the other project the city will seek funding for is Cameron McIntosh Airport.
The need to resurface the airport has been identified for years and a number of studies have been done.
Funding for airport asphalt work is available from the federal government. Again, each level of government would be committed to one-third funding, with the City on the hook for 33 cents to the dollar as well.
Gillan said the project cost is $5 million and would all be done in 2015, if approved. Some follow-up material is to be filed during the coming week by the City. The next step is for those applications to go to a committee who will then evaluate the proposals, including who is eligible for funding, and make decisions.
Gillan expects the decision-making process to move along fairly quickly and “it won’t take long to find out.” He expects that to happen in the next couple of months.
As part of the process a motion was required at council to support the application. That was carried unanimously.
In speaking to reporters later, City Manager Jim Puffalt noted this Building Canada application does not affect other projects already slated to go ahead in 2015.
The 100th Street rehabilitation project from 14th to 20th Avenue is a go, confirmed Puffalt, regardless of whether the Building Canada application is approved or not.
