BY BILL BRADLEY
City governance is all about making decisions. At a recent council meeting, spending money on health prevailed over roads and water.
City councillors recently decided to submit a proposal to the Ontario Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII) for an expanded Alzheimer's treatment building at Pioneer Manor. This proposal has resulted in a $7.8 million provincial grant for the project.
The grant application was approved and Mayor Rodriguez said at the April 10 city council meeting, other communities across the province would be envious.
“This is a state-of-the art facility with an architectural design that meets the needs of its residents like no other anywhere.”
The candidate proposal sent to MIII could have been tailored to obtaining as much as $6.7 million for the upgrading of Notre Dame Ave. from Leslie St. to the CN railway tracks.
Another potential project that could have been submitted was the Levack Water Supply Project. The application was for $10 million out of a proposed $18.5 million project cost.
These were the three recommendations council had to consider on Jan. 30.
Staff presented good arguments for each option before opting for the Alzheimer's project.
“Notre Dame is the major arterial roadway with an average daily traffic of 28,000. Notre Dame is the major north-south corridor linking Valley East and the west end of Lasalle Boulevard (east-west) corridor with the downtown business core of the city,” stated a report by Lorella Hayes, chief financial officer.
“The current state of Notre Dame is deteriorating, with numerous potholes, severe rutting, and curb degradation. The Official Plan adopted in June 2006 by council identified required improvements to Notre Dame Avenue,” stated Hayes.
Traffic volume on this corridor is projected to increase by 18 per cent over the next 20 years. The work involves the rehabilitation of the existing five and six lane cross sections, curbs and sidewalks with improved lighting.
Concerning the potential Levack water project, Vale Inco, which operates a well field in Levack to its mining operations as well as the municipal residential system serving Levack with potable water, gave notice to the city that it wished to divest itself from the operation. Vale cited liability issues and a desire to refocus on core business activities.
Provincial funding would allow the city to take over the operation. The city could also partner with Xstrata who also wished to divest itself from supplying potable water to Onaping. The new arrangement promised economies of scale and meets upcoming 2008 Ministry of Environment rules concerning compliance with their policies.
At council, staff sought direction as to which to apply for, considering this is a one-time grant program, intending to support investments in local infrastructure priorities outside of Toronto.
“We will do the water system in Levack. We have to,” said Ward 11 Coun. Janet Gasparini in January. “Out of the three proposals, we have to vote for Pioneer Manor because we are in a long-term care crisis in this community. There is no place for these people to go.”
The clincher argument for Alzheimer's may have come from Ward 8 Coun. Ted Callaghan.
“In submitting grants the key aspect is which proposal will get the money. I think
our Pioneer Manor proposal will warm the cockles of the hearts of the provincial bureaucrats looking at it,” he said.
In November, 2007 council approved the construction of a 31-bed building with a design to meet the needs of residents with dementia and the recommissioning of an additional 25 beds in K-Wing. The cost of construction and recommissioning was to be funded through an insurance settlement from a fire in the original premises, Pioneer Manor reserves or existing city capital funds.
In January, at a council meeting, an application was approved under the MIII program for an expanded Alzheimer's concept involving 32 additional beds at Pioneer Manor. The project calls for the addition of a second story structure to the previously approved beds in 2007.
