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Fort Simpson releases budget
Sewage treatment plant and road drainage among top concerns
Roxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, March 1, 2012
Approximately 15 people attended the public meeting on Feb. 22 to give village residents input into the budget. The meeting included a presentation on the capital projects completed in 2011 and what is scheduled for this year. The village expects to have $4,058,525 in its capital budget after it receives its funding for 2012 from the GNWT – approximately $943,340 – and the federal government – approximately $425,320. The balance is money held over from the last fiscal year. Of that amount, the village plans to spend $2,122,411 on 12 projects. Additionally, the village plans to spend $610,574 of the $1,221,147 grant it received from the Building Canada Program in 2010 on upgrades to the sewage treatment plant. This money, which has to be matched by $300,000 from the village, can only be spent on the plant, said Sebastien Goyer, the village's senior administrative officer. Many residents who attended the meeting were concerned about the cost of upgrading the plant. The village shouldn't have to spend as much money as it is at the cost of the rest of the community, said Kirby Groat. "The government people don't have enough to do so they're picking on us," he said. Groat said he suspects the discharge levels for the village's plant are unfair and set much higher than the minimum standards. What the village discharges into the Mackenzie River must be better than what Yellowknife is producing, he said. Mayor Sean Whelly said he is feeling more optimistic about the plant than he has in a long time. The village is closer to a solution and that will take a lot of pressure off of future plans, he said. Whelly said the grant from the Building Canada Program can only be used for the plant and the village has to match it with 20 per cent of its worth, $300,000. The village's plan to spend $500,000 on road construction and resurfacing was also a point of contention at the meeting. Ken Lambert said the village shouldn't be spending money on chipsealing roads until it has a proper drainage plan in place, including culverts and ditching. "Don't be pissing away $500,000," said Lambert. The village won't be using the money just for chipsealing, said Goyer. Engineering work, including drainage, will be done on each road before it is chipsealed, he said. Goyer said $500,000 is only enough money to do five to six roads in the village. Lambert also challenged the village's plan to spend $75,000 on a new sand shed, a function the new pool building has been serving. Lambert said the money would be better spent on establishing a site for remediating contaminated soil. Whelly said the village has considered creating a contaminated soil site, adding the village is currently storing soil contaminated by the fuel leak at the Visitor Information Centre. The recommendations from the meeting will be presented to council which will modify the capital budget if needed, said Goyer, The budget was approved by council on Feb. 6.
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