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www.gregmonforton.com Volume 3, Issue 51
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Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Leamington Development Charges Reserve Fund in a deficit position? By Bill Chaplin, Municipal Correspondent
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As reported from Environment Canada www.weatheroffice.gc.ca Harrow AAFC
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Legislation requires the municipal treasurer to report the activity that has occurred over 2011 to the development charges reserve funds. Being a ‘reserve fund’ (as opposed to just a reserve the municipality happens to have), money from this fund can only be spent on new infrastructure, or expansion that is related to development. A rather disturbing aspect to the report is the number of these reserve funds that were then (and are now) in a deficit position as a result of spending money from them in advance of collecting the development charges that fund them. In total, over $900,000 is ‘owed’ to the reserve funds for roads, police, indoor recreation, administrative studies and waste water services. This money was ‘borrowed’ from the other reserve funds that are in a surplus position, but the Treasurer pointed out to council that this ‘borrowing’ could only continue so long as the surpluses continue to exist.
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New pump installed at Marentette site Original pump installed in 1953 By Bryan Jessop A project three years in the making has finally come to fruition for the owners of farmland near Mersea Road D. The Marentette Marsh Drainage System was treated to a series of recent upgrades and structural repairs that included the replacement of the pump that was original to the facility when it was constructed in 1953. The station’s first pump failed on Jan. 1 of 2009, prompting landowners to hire Dillon Consulting to prepare a report that was soon thereafter presented to Leamington municipal council. While awaiting approval, the old pump was twice extracted for repairs until it could be replaced. The new pump, manufactured by Sulzer and installed by Bailey Inc. on Jan. 7 of this year, is six feet longer than its predecessor. Because of soil erosion and the loss of sediment, the drainage capabilities of the old pump became insufficient, requiring a unit that could reach lower. The affected area, covering about 800 acres, is made up of 15 parcels of farm land managed by seven different landowners, some of whom have complained of poor drainage conditions in the non-residential area. “Landowners in the area are very excited,” said Leamington drainage superintendent Lu-Ann Barreto. “It’s nice to see this finally go through. It was a very lengthy approval process, that’s for sure. It’s a relief to see it finished.” The 60-year-old pumping station, located at the corner of Mersea Road D and Mersea Road 19, was repaired by Elmara Construction. The cost of the pump itself was roughly $122,000, just under the project’s total cost of about $250,000. Following the new pump’s Jan. 7 installation and commissioning, it was started up the following day. “Everything is running smoothly,” Barreto said of the newly-improved system. Recommendations for site improvements date back to long before amalgamation, including the installation of a new diesel engine for the Marentette system’s pump suggested in January of 1976. Other recommendations at the time included a new aluminum walkway and handrail, doors and windows, light fixtures, an outlet control flap, a 1.5 ton lever-type hoist and general clean up of the site. The report was not approved. An on-site meeting was held at the station in Decmember of 2009, where landowners described an assortment of concerns that were later investigated during the creation of the Dillon Consulting report.
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The Marentette Marsh Drainage System’s original pump was replaced by a new unit, installed by Bailey Inc. on January 7 of this year. The pump was turned on for the first time the following day.
Signage at the Marnetette pump house indicates the facility’s original year of creation and the year structural repairs and upgrades were made. The new pump was installed by Bailey Inc. on January 7 of this year. (Photos submitted)
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