CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A new $3-million building on Brackley Point Road, two new fire trucks, design work for a new fire station and new snow clearing equipment are some of the highlights from Charlottetown’s 2020-21 capital budget.
City council gave unanimous approval to the budget during a special meeting on Thursday night.
The total capital budget amounts to $26.06 million, an increased investment of $4.09 million from the previous fiscal year. The $26.06 million for capital projects includes $4.39 million for the water and sewer utility and $21.67 million for the city corporation.
“To me, the budget is really a budget to improve the city’s infrastructure, and when you do that you improve on the city’s delivery of essential services,’’ said Coun. Terry Bernard, chairman of the city’s finance committee.
The new $3-million building on Brackley Point Road will be for the parks and recreation department and the water and sewer utility. Right now, those departments occupy space at the public works garage on MacAleer Drive.
Bernard said things have become congested having all three departments continuously expanding with new equipment and upgrades to existing equipment.
“It’s basically over capacity, so the plan is to build a new building and have water and sewer and parks and recreation into the new building,’’ he said. “Now the existing building on MacAleer Drive . . . will have more room (for public works). They’ll have more bays and more storage, so it works out for everybody.’’
The city already owns the land where it will construct the new building. It will be located next to Advantage Communications. The building will measure 12,000 square feet and feature four to five bays on each side of the building, with parks and recreation and water and sewer each occupying a side.
Bernard said the new building will immediately go into the design stage and likely go to tender by August.
As for the new fire station, $165,000 has been earmarked for the design phase with construction likely to happen in 2021. The city was looking at two properties for the station but has decided to go with the Malpeque Road location. It was also looking at joining up with Island EMS on Sherwood Road, but the site has been deemed too small to include a fire station. The two new fire trucks in the capital budget will cost a combined $1.9 million.
Need to know
- Overall budget is $26.06 million, up from last year
- $3.46 million for projects such as the renewal of the Wright’s Creek Bridge ($1.32 million), trail developments and repairs for boardwalk sections, park pathways and arena repairs
- Public works is getting $16.67 million, which includes a new $3-million building for parks and recreation and water and sewer, $2.8 million in paving and street rehabilitation, $1.3 million for sidewalks, the Fitzroy Street expansion, fleet management and traffic and pedestrian signal upgrades
- About $3.93 million is earmarked for fire, police and emergency preparedness, which includes two new fire trucks, design of a new fire station and emergency generators
- Community sustainability projects to support active transportation, transit and energy upgrades are also part of the city’s capital investments, with $5.54 million budgeted
- Capital projects in water and sewer, including finalizing work on the wellfield reservoir, the treatment plant, and the East Royalty lift station and gravity sewer line. Upgrades are also planned for wastewater lift stations
More information is at www.charlottetown.ca/budget
Under water and sewer, the city plans on putting the finishing touches on the decommissioning of the East Royalty lagoon and going forward with $6.6 million worth of upgrades to the pollution control plant on Riverside Drive.
The capital budget also includes $650,000 that will enable the city to create a road that links Towers Road up with Spencer Drive, giving traffic the option of bypassing the parking lot at the rear of the Charlottetown Mall. And while no one will say anything on the record, the city is also looking into extending Spencer Drive to Mount Edward Road.
There is also money in the budget to do some storm water management work (ditch infilling) and some box culvert replacement on Exhibition Drive, similar to what took place recently at the North River Road-Capital Drive intersection.
The budget also includes $1.3 million for four new sidewalk machines, a new plow truck and a new payloader truck.
Once again, the oft-talked about Belvedere roundabout is not in the budget. Bernard said they’re still waiting for the appropriate federal-provincial program to open up before moving ahead. The project is expected to cost $5.5 million.