Some concerns were raised by Owen Sound councillors about the plan to finance an infrastructure project in the city’s east end.
City council approved a staff recommendation at its meeting Monday to award a $2.45-million contract to E.C. King Contracting for an enhanced 16th Street East pedestrian tunnel rehabilitation project, which will now also include sidewalks on the south side of 16th Street East to prepare for a new high school being built in the area.
The core work being undertaken is the rehabilitation of the pedestrian tunnel located over the Grey County CP Rail Trail on 16th Street East. That will include structure repairs, waterproofing and repaving across the roadway. A city staff report says sidewalk links now in the project will connect the bridge and a nearby plaza, which will link to a future walkway where the new Catholic high school is being developed off 28th Avenue East.
Council voted unanimously to award the contract, but there were some concerns raised about the city’s funding plan.
The enhancements to the project — which was originally budgeted at $1.4-million — will be paid in part through gas tax funding, which usually supports Owen Sound’s annual asphalt resurfacing program.
“It does essentially eliminate 2027 road resurfacing,” Owen Sound’s Director of Public Works and Engineering Lara Widdifield says.
Coun. Melanie Middlebro’: “That’s my concern.”
Coun. Marion Koepke: “I’m just concerned with asphalt resurfacing for next year. I don’t think we can do without having that.”
Council could take a closer look at how the project is being funded during its semi-annual capital spending meeting next month.
“Very good question, but I think it’s a question that will be brought up during capital budget discussions on how that’s going to work,” Coun. Travis Dodd says.
Deputy Mayor Scott Greig adds some asphalt work would still get done in 2027 as part of larger capital projects being completed, such as reconstruction of a section of 4th Avenue West.
“Some years we don’t have those large, significant other projects ongoing,” Greig says. “But like the year we did Alpha Street, we did achieve a lot of resurfacing within the city, within the large reconstruction project.”
The $2.4-million bid accepted by the city for the 16th Street East pedestrian tunnel rehabilitation project was the lowest of two compliant ones received. More than $1.1-million of the project cost is being funded through a provincial Connecting Link grant. The remaining $1.3-million is being funded through a combination of gas tax revenues, reserves and tax-supported capital. The city expects to recover $875,000 of that as a future cost to developers.