Moosomin applying for grant for expanded water treatment plant
Total cost would be $9.4 million to $10.9 million
March 26, 2020, 5:13 am
Kevin Weedmark
The town of Moosomin is applying for a grant under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to expand the town’s water treatment plant.
The project would include expanding the plant to the west, over the existing reservoir, and would expand the capacity of the water treatment plant, would include generators at the plant and at the wells in the Pipestone Valley where the town’s water comes from, a new water line from the wells to the water treatment plant, and new remote-read electronic water meters throughout the town, allowing the town to download information on water usage automatically—and would allow for remote shutoff of water services for overdue accounts.
The total cost of the project will be between $9.4 million and $10.9 million.
KGS Group has done the preliminary engineering on the water plant.
KGS made a presentation to Moosomin town council at the last meeting.
The plant would be 50 per cent reverse osmosis treatment blended with 50 per cent traditional filtration. The town can’t accommodate 100 per cent reverse osmosis without expanding the lagoon system because of the volume of waste water produced by reverse osmosis.
The 50 per cent reverse osmosis is expected to make a significant difference in water hardness.
Under ICIP, the federal government will contribute at least 40 per cent of the cost of each approved project, and the provincial government will contribute up to 33.3 per cent of the cost.
The deadline to apply for funding under ICIP is March 31, and the town of Moosomin has a leg up because the preliminary engineering has been done on the project.
If the grant is approved, councillors discussed scheduling construction so the town’s portion of the cost that needs to be financed would be financed with payments starting in 2023, since the town will make final payments on two major projects in 2022. The town has been paying more than $300,000 per year on two past projects—$219,942.75 on the town’s portion of the capital cost of the Southeast Integrated Care Centre and $83,660.65 for the expansion of the town’s lagoon system.
Councillor Greg Nosterud noted at the meeting that the new meters will allow the town to keep better tabs on water usage.
The town will be able to download water usage stats to the town computer system for billing, and to reconcile with water plant output. If there is a discrepancy between water plant output and water usage, the town will be able to detect water breaks earlier.
If approved, the project would go to detailed design this coming fall and winter, and go to tender in the spring of 2021.
Council voted to apply for the grant.
“We better get some money before they spend it all,” councillor Chris Davidson quipped.
Town orders Prairie Pride owner to clean up site
The town of Moosomin has sent a letter to Prairie Pride motel owner Raj Verma ordering him to clean up the motel site where the motel was destroyed by fire in May of 2019.
The town had asked SGI, the insurer of the motel owner, about the site. “SGI Canada has previously advised our insured that they can remove the debris at the loss site, which would be at their own cost,” SGI wrote to the town. Council discussed the issue at the March 11 meeting and decided to give Verma a deadline of June 15 to clean up the site.
“Since the fire at the Prairie Pride Motel on May 12, 2019, the town has been waiting for the cleanup of the debris from this incident and do understand that this process does take some time,” the town wrote to Verma on March 13.
“As it has been approximately 10 months since the fire, the town wrote a letter to SGI Canada on February 27, 2020, requesting that cleanup of this site begin immediately. However, per March 3, 2020 response from SGI Canada, the town was advised that they had previously advised the insured that they can remove the debris at the loss site, which would be at their own cost . . . please proceed to clean up this site at your earliest opportunity, with a deadline of June 15, 2020.”
Strong interest in swimming lessons
Recreation director Mike Schwean told council that there have already been two calls from people interested in operating the concession at Bradley Park in the summer of 2020 and there are already more than 150 swimming lessons booked at the Borderland Co-op Aquaplex. He told council he has never had this many registrations this early.
There is a registration form for swimming lessons on page 14 of this week’s World-Spectator.
Slow down around employees trimming trees
Councillor Garry Towler said it is important that the public remember to slow down when going around town employees when they are out trimming trees.
He said the issue was raised at an Occupational Health and Safety meeting.
“We’re asking people to slow down around town crew when they are trimming trees,” he said. “If it continues to be a problem we may have to close down a whole block to traffic when they’re trimming to keep them safe.”
Planning proceeding on bypass
Saskatchewan Highways, the town of Moosomin, and the RM of Moosomin will proceed with a study on the functional design of a Highway 8 bypass around Moosomin.
The town and RM of Moosomin will each contribute $10,000 to the study.
The idea is to create a Highway 8 bypass around town to keep truck traffic off Moosomin’s Main Street.
Little libraries
The town of Moosomin will pay $185.50 each to purchase two Little Libraries to be put up around town. The Little Libraries will be placed by the Borderland Co-op Aquaplex and the Tim Hortons Eventplex. They will be small units from which people can take or leave a book.
The town crew will provide the labor to put them up. Councillor Garry Towler said if the town crew is too busy he will volunteer to put them up.
Questions on customer parking
Town council considered a request from Borderland Co-op to add paved visitor parking in front of the Co-op’s new office building on Carlton Street.
The parking would be in place of grassed boulevard and sidewalk areas in front of the building, on the site of the former Drop-In Centre.
Councillors expressed concern over the loss of the sidewalk, and council decided to ask for more details from Borderland Co-op before making a decision.
The town is asking for dimensions of the proposed customer parking area, a schematic and diagram.
The town has also asked Borderland Co-op if they have discussed the proposal with neighboring property owners.
