Town administration hopes to take advantage of a provincial and federal grant program to pay for some capital projects.
Betty Quinlan, director of corporate services for the Town of Ponoka, said there are two projects that are eligible. She told councillors during the regular council meeting Tuesday, March 24 that the Small Communities Fund (SCF) provides strict guidelines for what Alberta municipalities can apply for.
Funding is granted based on a one third split between the town, province and country and eligible projects must be outlined in a 10-year plan. Quinlan said the first project they are applying for is the 50 Street rehabilitation project between 43 and 44 Avenue, which is projected to cost $670,000.
The 50 Street project is already planned to be completed this year and Quinlan says the timelines will be tight. A request for proposal has already been sent out, explained Dave McPhee, director of operations and property services.
“We’ll have to go ahead with the engineering,” he said.
The other project the town will apply for are industrial/commercial servicing upgrades at the Highway 2 and Highway 53 junction. This project is estimated at $6.2 million and is in the town’s 10-year plan.
Mayor Rick Bonnett said the town should not get its hopes too high considering the 10-year SCF program is intended to service 300 communities across the province.
The federal and provincial governments have committed $94 million each to be shared across the province. The cost of the town’s second project is approximately six per cent of this amount.
Council gave the administration the green light to apply for both projects.