Hawkesbury to borrow for arena and water treatment plant upgrades, and it’s lights, camera, action for sewers

The City of Hawkesbury is applying to the Ontario Government to borrow $ 8,425,000 from the Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation, better known as Infrastructure Ontario, for capital improvements at the Robert Hartley Sports Complex and water treatment plant. The council approved statutes at its June 28 meeting to raise the funds.

The sports facility’s ice rink cooling system was installed in 1978 and needs to be replaced. The cost of a new system is estimated at $ 2,500,000 and the city has applied for a loan from Infrastructure Ontario to cover the entire cost.

It will cost an estimated $ 9,500,000 to upgrade the water treatment facility, which includes improvements to the chemical storage and delivery system, clarifier, and backwashing of the filter system. The city has applied for a $ 5,925,000 loan for the project from Infrastructure Ontario.

The remaining $ 3,575,000 of the project will come with a federal grant of $ 1,974,124.26, revenue from a special infrastructure fee totaling $ 1 million, and $ 600,875.74 from the urban Water reserve fund paid.

The replacement of the arena’s cooling system is scheduled to begin in May 2022 and end in December of this year. The modernization of the water treatment plant is to take place in the same period.

The repayment term is amortized over 25 years from 2023 to 2047 with an annual interest rate of 2.5 percent.

There was no further discussion among councilors when they voted on June 28 to approve the constitution to borrow the funds from Infrastructure Ontario to pay for water treatment facility modernization and replacement of cooling equipment for sports facilities.

Sewer on TV

Watching a television show going on in Hawkesbury’s sewers is the kind of program most people would miss, but knowing the condition of the sewer system is important for the Department of Public Works and Engineering.

On June 28, Hawkesbury City Council unanimously approved a $ 200,000 budget for the inspection of plumbing and storm sewer systems before the end of 2021. According to a report from Public Works and Technology Director Jonathan Wilson, the last inspection was in 2008 and one more is needed so staff can work out a plan of action for future repairs and replacements.

The 2021 investment budget was already $ 100,000 for unspecified sewer rehabilitation needs, and the 2021 operating budget was $ 30,000 for minor sewer inspections. The remaining $ 70,000 will come from the rainwater drainage reserve fund.