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Town picks projects for stimulus grant program

Salt shed and Heritage Building upgrades pegged at more than $600K
WES heritage building IMG_9187
The Town of Westlock hopes to use $256,351 in provincial stimulus funding for renovations at the Heritage Building.

WESTLOCK - The Town of Westlock hopes to build a $350,000 salt shed and spend $256,351 on renovations at the Heritage Building with its cut from the recently-announced provincial stimulus program.

Councillors voted 6-1 at their Sept. 14 meeting to submit those two projects to the $500 million Municipal Stimulus Program (MSP), which the province says will support municipal capital infrastructure projects as a means to contributing to local job creation and economic recovery.

The money is being distributed to all municipalities based on the existing Gas Tax Fund allocation formula, a per capita distribution process with a minimum of $50,000 available for smaller municipalities and a $5,000 minimum for summer villages. The town is eligible for $606,351 while applications to program, which was unveiled at the end of July, are due Oct. 1.

While not a sexy project, council agreed that a salt shed, which director of operations Grant Gyurkovits said will probably be around 60 x 120 feet in size, is needed.

Eligible project categories include roads, bridges, water and wastewater systems, public transit and recreation. Projects must not create operational funding requirements for the province, or result in municipal tax increases, while rolling stock, such as buses and transit vehicles, and equipment purchases are not eligible.

“I like the idea of the salt shed. We’ve made some great progress on that yard with much of the old grass pile gone. I’m assuming there’s a fair bit of loss of the salt during loading and unloading and laying under that tarp. There’s a whole bunch of benefits to finally completing that project,” said mayor Ralph Leriger.

“I think that what’s been presented to us reflects the discussions we’ve had about priorities over the last number of years at budget time — the long of list of priorities and the short list of money available.”

Although councillors were nearly unanimous in their support of the two selected projects (mayor Ralph Leriger was the lone dissenting vote), administration’s initial request for decision included $131,351 for improvements and extension of the Rotary Trail.

Coun. John Shoemaker, who supported the shed and Heritage Building upgrades, was vehemently against the trail project, which would have seen a loop added to the Aspendale area and a section near the Whisselville Storm Pond paved. Other proposed projects listed, but not discussed in length, included the Westgate dry pond and the 108 Ave. extension.

“I don’t like the Aspendale extension. I walk a lot in Aspendale and I walk on the sidewalk. It’s only $131K here, but by the time you get the extension done … by the time you finish off the trail  … we’re going to spend $500,000,” said Shoemaker, whose opposition sparked a 10-minute council debate.

“Instead of me walking in front of someone’s place, we’re going to spend $500,000 so I can walk behind? That doesn’t make sense to me.

“If you look where the (trail) is going in Aspendale, it stops in the middle of nowhere. Well, we’d have to do an extension next year, or the year after. It’s going to be an ongoing project that’s going to cost us a half to three-quarters of a million dollars. For what purpose?”

Ultimately, after a recommendation from Coun. Clem Fagnan, councillors decided to add what they would have spent on the Rotary Trail to the Heritage Building renos.

Coun. Murtaza Jamaly said with future plans to move the Family and Community Support Services offices there, the renovations are needed.

“This building I think is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate we have, more so in terms of  administrative space than the town office,” said Jamaly. “I think this is an opportunity for us to spend the money to make this building truly usable. With the library at the end of the hall, potentially FCSS coming here, council chambers … this is where the community comes to interface with a lot of our services.”

“As much as I think the Rotary Trail is something we need to put money into, I do agree that this (Heritage Building project) ranks higher than the trail. The money can be spent easily here,” added Coun. Randy Wold.

Clyde gets $50K

The Village of Clyde is eligible for $51,114 from the same stimulus program.

At their Sept. 14 meeting councillors decided to let administration find the best use for the money and submit the application.

Councillors considered using the money for alarms at the Water Distribution Plant, on paving or sidewalk projects, or partially funding the 47 Ave. reconstruction.

Deputy mayor Doug Nyal, however, thought that the money should go to beautification projects.

“We’ve seen the results of the sidewalks we put in this summer, the difference it made on main street, I think we can go even further and we can make our main street and the core part of our village a little more pleasing to the eye,” he said.

“So I would like us to definitely apply for the funding and I’d like us to apply for a different project other than our roads and streets and sidewalks. As I say, those are all fundable projects that we can get money for, MSI money.”

To Coun. Danielle Dillman, who claimed she was “a little more practical,” those expenses were “frivolous,” but they did get support from Coun. Nat Dvernichuk after CAO Ron Cust explained that they can look for a bigger project — like the east side of the main street sidewalk plus planters and benches — and incorporate the stimulus money that way.

“I think it’s very important for it to look like a nice village,” said Dvernichuk.

• With files from Andreea Resmerita

Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @andreea_res

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