Numerous Projects Funded Through Provincial-Municipal Announcement
Through multi-year capital works funding announced today by the City of St. John's and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador a number of important infrastructure projects will take place over the next couple of years in the City.
"We do have a very long list of capital works projects which need to be undertaken in the City," says Mayor Dennis O'Keefe. "We are very pleased that through this funding agreement with the province we will be able to address some important projects over the next couple of years."
The funding includes approximately $3.1 million for a new Community Centre in Southlands. The City has already hired an architect firm to complete the concept design for the new Community Centre and an initial public consultation has been held in Southlands to get local input. Once the concept design for the Community Centre is completed it will come back for another round of public consultations.
"We are very pleased to see the work moving ahead for a new Community Centre in Southlands," says Councillor Frank Galgay, Chair, Recreation and Parks Standing Committee. "Our Recreation Master Plan identified areas throughout the City where neighbourhood centres are required. We are very pleased that the province is partnering with us to provide a Community Centre in Southlands, an area of the City which we anticipate will see tremendous growth over the next decade."
The largest portion of the $35.1 million in funding announced by the province on a 50-50 cost shared basis with the City of St. John's will go towards street rehabilitation at approximately $14.6 million. The City's street rehabilitation program is an annual maintenance program conducted throughout the City including grind and patch operations and cut and patch operations. Another $2.1 million has also been allocated for sidewalk replacement and $1.5 million for retaining wall rehabilitation and bridge rehabilitation.
Another important project involves the Craigmillar Avenue sanitary sewer system at a cost of $6.7 million. When Craigmillar Avenue was originally constructed many of the homes had their sanitary sewer laterals incorrectly connected to the storm sewer main. The City recently became aware of this issue and immediately moved it to the top of the capital works project list. The City is hopeful to see the design work on this project completed to allow the project to move forward during the 2013 construction season.
"We are very pleased that the province also recognized the urgency of this situation and has agreed to cost-share this project on a 50-50 basis with the City," says Councillor Wally Collins, Chair, Public Works, Environment and Protection Standing Committee.
Phase three of the renovations to the Public Works Municipal Depot will also be funded under the 2012-14 Multi-Year Capital Works Program at approximately $6.3 million. These upgrades to the 50-year old facility will include renovations to all of the employee areas to bring it up to occupational health and safety standards.
Other projects funded include approximately $500,000 for upgrades to the City's infill non-profit housing, particularly work to the building envelope (roof, siding, windows, doors) and upgrades to include heat recovery ventilators in each unit. The City will also upgrade the fencing around both of the outdoor pools (Bannerman Park and Bowring Park) to address safety and security issues at a cost of approximately $200,000. The final project approved at a cost of $54,000 will allow the City to install new guide rails along the East White Hills Road to address safety concerns in the area.
For further information:
Jennifer Mills
Communications Officer
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 570-2037
Cell: (709) 690-7586
E-mail: jmills@stjohns.ca
Dennis O'Keefe
Mayor
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 576-8477
E-mail: dokeefe@stjohns.ca
Frank Galgay
Ward 2 Councillor
Chair, Recreation and Parks Standing Committee
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 576-8577
E-mail: fgalgay@stjohns.ca
Wally Collins
Ward 5 Councillor
Chair, Public Works, Environment and Protection Committee
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 576-8584
E-mail: wcollins@stjohns.ca