Port Ed heads for the moneylenders

The District of Port Ed has a growing list of upgrades to their waterline system that needs to be addressed, and with things getting worse they’ve decided that the time has come to begin the process of upgrading and replacing their shaky infrastructure.

In the Thursday edition of The Daily News, the paper updated the plans of the District to seek out grant monies and interest free loans to try and get things moving on the plans.

PORT ED READY TO BORROW CASH FOR UPGRADES
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Page One

For years, the district of Port Edward has known what was needed to upgrade their waterlines.

Tuesday night, Port Edward council took the first step toward making the upgrade a reality.

“Some waterlines are 40 to 50 years old,” said Chief Operating Officer Ron Bedard. “We’ve already had to repair 16 leaks (this year.)

“It’s not just the cost of the leaks, but the loss of the water.”

At the Union of B. C. Municipalities meeting in Victoria last month, both Mayor Dave MacDonald and Bedard held discussions with various levels of government in an attempt to find funding to finally replace those aging waterlines. They were told that one option was to get a Canada, B. C. Infrastructure grant, meaning that Port Edward then would only have to come up with the $1 million.

The entire cost for replacing the waterlines is approximately $3 million.

Bedard then presented council with a report detailing the process to set up a borrowing bylaw.

“We’ve had some encouragement from the (Northern Development Initiative) trust,” he said. “Of course, with that, we have to go through the bylaw process... to borrow a million dollars if we need it.”

In addition to the infrastructure funding, Bedard suggested council should apply to the NDI for a grant, and possibly a zero percent interest loan that would reduce the cost still further for Port Edward taxpayers.

“I feel it’s the right way to go,” said MacDonald. “If we can’t get the grants, we’re not going to do it.

“One of the things we think we’re going to get from the port is people living here in Port Edward, and we need to do this so people want to live here.”

Once the waterlines are replaced, Port Edward could then look at other plans for their community, such as sidewalks, said MacDonald.

“Until we get the infrastructure in place, there’s no point in getting those sidewalks, if you’re going to dig them up in two years,” he said.

Councillors Ed Wampler, Christine MacKenzie, and James Brown all agreed with Bedard’s plan. Coun. Murray Kristoff was not in attendance, but gave his approval to Bedard earlier in the day.

“He said to go ahead with the project,” said Bedard.

Council then approved Bedard’s recommendation that council authorize staff to prepare the necessary borrowing bylaw, and submit appropriate applications to the Canada, B. C. Infrastructure Grant, and to the NDI Trust Fund for approval.