WESTLOCK – The summer of 2021 is shaping up as one of the busiest for the Town of Westlock in terms of work as nearly $10 million will be spent rehabbing 108th Street and completing the west industrial stormwater project.
At their Feb. 8 meeting, councillors voted 7-0 to approve the municipality’s 2021-2026 capital budget, a document that maps out $32,372,021 worth of projects over the next half decade.
This coming year’s budget is $13,302,397, $11 million of which are carry-forward projects.
The vast majority of cash, $9.3 million, will come from federal and provincial grants, while the town is working with businesses along 108th Street which will be contributing dollars to that project. The municipality is also dipping into reserves to fund the plan, as well as taking a $1,105,815 debenture for 108th Street and a $585,000 debenture to buy a new hydrovac.
“It’s an awful ambitious plan, but many of these projects have been several years in the making. We know the storm pond goes back to the 2016 flood and it’s taken some time to get grant money and our money and the engineering and all the work into place, but here we are,” said mayor Ralph Leriger. “We’ve saved over the years, saved our federal gas tax, tried to build our reserves up so we can afford to do this and at the same time appreciate some pretty low interest for the short term debenture.”
Added Coun. Murtaza Jamaly: “I look at this capital budget and if it’s the last one we do as a group, it’s a damn good one. It’s knocking off a lot of projects … I don’t know if there’s another municipality our size that would have the potential to do this.”
The big dig on 108th
Top of the list is 108th Street which will see $7.3 million ($6.3M in 2021 and $1M in 2022) worth of road, stormwater, sewer and water infrastructure work, plus a pedestrian sidewalk. The town will be hosting a virtual information session regarding the project Wednesday, Feb. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. where representatives from MPE Engineering Ltd. and Knelsen Sand & Gravel Ltd. will layout the project in detail; more information on joining the session is available at the town’s community calendar.
Coun. Jamaly said they’re proud to be able to get shovels into the dirt as these projects have taken years and included lobbying the provincial government and even partnering with local businesses.
“These are projects that have been on the books for a while and it has been a very measured approach. We’ve been working on a long play about getting provincial dollars and knowing we couldn’t do this alone,” said Coun. Jamaly.
“All of those things were dominos that had to fall to make these projects a reality — 108th Street would not be a reality without the business community supporting the project, the provincial dollars coming to play and administration leading the way on creative plans to get the dollars and cents in place.”
Stormwater impacts residents
Although not as grand in scope dollar-wise, councillors were equally proud of the West Industrial Stormwater Infrastructure Project, which the town will spend $4.9M on over the next two years ($3.2M in 2021 and $1.6 in 2022).
The project includes the creation of a new stormwater pond and supporting upgrades to current stormwater infrastructure to control and mitigate stormwater throughout the town and is expected to reduce the impact of major stormwater events to their neighbours to the north.
The town has been working on the project in response to the August 2016 flood which caused millions of dollars in damage as numerous basements and roads flooded through the municipality.
“These projects are going to touch people in their daily lives, especially in regards to the storm pond and the improvements to get stormwater out of town,” noted Coun. David Truckey. “I’m glad to see them come to fruition.”
“This council made the difference to get it done and I’m happy the way I’m leaving the town when I leave politics,” added Coun. Clem Fagnan, noting a report from 2004 on stormwater issues in the municipality.
More, more, more
There’s 32 projects with dollar figures listed for 2021, including 10 that have been carried forward from previous years.
Dollar-wise the Westgate Dry Pond, at $700,000 (plus $1M in 2022), and a new hydrovac, $610,000, are the next highest. Next up at $540,000, plus another $90,000 budgeted in 2022, is a walkway that will cross Highway 18 at 108th Avenue, continuing down 100th Street in front of the businesses, then turning south down 113th Street.
The Heritage Building is also seeing $380,000 worth of work this year and will eventually be the main office for Family and Community Support Services. The build includes creating office space, a kitchenette, bathrooms, meeting areas, and storage space. The full five-year capital budget is available at the town’s website.
Coun. John Shoemaker noted that although the capital plan is laid out well in advance, this is only a roadmap for future councils as this October is the municipal election.
“There’s going to be a new council in those years and so we are not saying that these items that are showing there are approved by council, they haven’t been. They’re more of an information of what we’re looking at five years out, but that will be up to the new council to approve the capital projects in the following years,” he noted.
