The Town of Battleford announced funding for lagoon upgrades. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Infrastructure upgrades

Lagoon project funding now split between town, province and feds

Sep 17, 2019 | 12:23 PM

The Town of Battleford managed to pocket almost $4 million in total for ratepayers and still move ahead with its plans to upgrade and expand its lagoon wastewater treatment system.

Mayor Ames Leslie announced at council Monday the town managed to receive support from upper levels of government to help fund the project.

The federal government will contribute $2,106,000, and the province $1,754,825, leaving the town to put in the remaining $1,404,176 of the total $5,265,000 cost.

“The taxpayers were going to be responsible for the $5.2 million for the lagoon project,” Mayor Ames Leslie said. “It has been identified that it has to be done. Council was going to look to do it over three years with $1.8 million out of reserves this year.”

With the three-way payment plan, Leslie said that leaves the town with a $400,000 surplus in the 2019 budget.

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“It’s a tremendous gift, and I use that word strongly,” Leslie said. “It was a tremendous gift to the Town of Battleford because this is a project that would have significantly put a dent in the town’s finances. The town has very strong reserves and no debt.This will just make us even stronger with not having to spend that $4 million.”

The next step for the town is to issue a request for proposals for the work.

The mayor said the project involves making upgrades, increasing capacity and rehabilitating the lagoon system.

“We’ll add some more oxygen to the lagoon system to make the effluent, the greywater, a little bit healthier,” he added.

Leslie expects the town may be able to start work on the initiative this fall or next spring.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow