CommunityCouncil

Paradise to ink cost-sharing deals with Province

By Mark Squibb/February 24, 2022

The cheques may not all be in the mail yet, but they are coming.

Paradise councilor Elizabeth Laurie told her colleagues earlier this month that the Town’s list of infrastructure projects has received approval from the provincial government.

Laurie explained that in May of 2021, Paradise was approved to spend $4.79 million on multi-year capital works projects.

“At that time, council was required to submit projects to be considered for the funding,” said Laurie. “Council submitted Lift Station No. 10 upgrades and our water and sewer installation as well. And so, the Town has recently received approval from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to fund these projects, and as such, as council we need to pass a motion to accept the funding and to authorize the Town to enter into an agreement with the Department.”

The two projects are cost-funded at a 70/30 ratio, meaning the town is on the hook for 30 percent of the total project costs.

For upgrades to Lift Station No. 10 at the corner of St. Thomas Line and Topsail Road which malfunctioned in 2019 sending sewage spewing onto a nearby property, the town is approved to spend $3.2 million, of which $968,870 is its own money. Some $2.8 million has been approved for water and sewer upgrades, of which the Town will contribute $779,425.

Council voted unanimously to accept the provincial funding and enter into the cost-sharing agreements with the Province.

“This is great news,” said Mayor Dan Bobbett. “This is some very important funding for infrastructure improvements. I’d like to thank the Province for allowing us the funding to get that work done.”

Later in the meeting, councilor and infrastructure and engineering committee chairperson Deborah Quilty brought up the subject of the lift station once again.

While giving her regular committee update, Quilty said a committee member had noted that they would like town staff to be prepared to have a discussion about the sewer system configuration and the history behind the operation of lift station number 10.

“That’s a discussion coming up in the near future,” said Quilty.

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