County, townships share in green projects funding

Peterborough County, Trent Lakes and the townships of Douro-Dummer and Otonabee-South Monaghan are among 68 municipalities across Canada getting funding for green infrastructure planning projects, officials revealed Tuesday.

Douro-Dummer will get $49,200 to study the technical and financial feasibility of constructing a 2,369 square-metre centralized public works and emergency services building that would replace two aging structures in Warsaw.

The 60- to 70-year-old public works building and more than 100-year-old fire hall in the village are deteriorating and growing increasingly costly to heat and maintain, township CAO David Clifford explained.

“They are not up to today’s standard at all,” he said, pointing out how the new building would be net-zero energy – meaning the total amount of energy is uses annually would roughly equal the amount of renewable energy created on site.

Designed by Greenview Environmental Management – which presented its plans in November 2016 – the facility proposed for 1422 County Road 4 will include solar panels and make use of rainwater, for example.

The township is ready to make the centralized building a reality once it gets support from the upper levels of government, Clifford said, welcoming the nearly $50,000 the township applied for about a year ago.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” he said. “It will definitely offset some of the design costs.”

Other funding announced Tuesday afternoon, including $50,000 for the county, is earmarked for local asset management plans.

Under the Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act, 2015, municipalities are required to prepare a plan in three phases annually between Jan. 1, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2022.

The first phase addresses core infrastructure assets. The second, which expands to include all assets in the plan, must be done a year later. A third, which requires further details for all assets in the plan, must be completed the following year.

The new regulations aim to implement best practices throughout the municipal sector and create consistency to better support collaboration between municipalities and the province.

The funding will allow the county to hire a consultant to

update its plan for 2018, director of corporate projects and services Sheridan Graham said.

Last updated in 2013, the county’s plan – which currently includes roads and bridges – will be expanded to include culverts, signs, buildings and the county’s fleet of vehicles and equipment, she said.

The consultant will also provide recommendations on how the county should integrate technology into asset management.

The county has also partnered with Fleming College, which recently began a program focusing on training municipalities in asset management. Staff will benefit while being able to provide their perspective, Graham noted. “It’s a win-win for us.”

Councillors took steps to prepare in the recently-approved county budget by okaying $56,098 to hire an asset management analyst to develop, implement and ensure ongoing maintenance of the county’s asset management policy and records.

Elsewhere, Otonabee-South Monaghan will also receive $40,689 for an asset management program and data development. Trent Lakes will get $33,000 to improve asset management planning by implementing asset and capital planning/analysis software.

The funding will come from the five-year, $75 million Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, five-year, $50 million Asset Management Program and $675 million Green Municipal Fund, each delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The funding was announced Tuesday afternoon by Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi and federation president Jenny Gerbasi.

The programs fund innovative and sustainable efforts that give municipalities the means to build or revamp infrastructure, revitalize contaminated land into beautiful and useful spaces and lead studies that will foster climate change goals, officials stated.

The grants are carefully awarded to communities that are committed to innovation and inspired thinking, communications strategist Jill Clark said.

“Even though each Canadian municipality is completely unique, they face many of the same challenges and opportunities when it comes to protecting their futures in an ever-changing environmental landscape,” she stated.

“Fifty per cent of Canada’s climate change goals are achievable at the municipal level and the funding from these flagship programs are leading the charge.”

NOTES: For more information on the Municipal Asset Management Program, Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program or Green Municipal Fund, visit www.fcm.ca.… For more on the proposed centralized public works depot and fire hall in Douro-Dummer Township, visit https://greenview-environmental.ca/project/design-new-centralized-pw-depot-fire-station/ .