NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT City council has approved the construction of a $3.5 million berm behind houses on Finlay Court, seen on the right. The eastern extension of the existing berm would be partially paid for with a project specific grant of $1.8 million from the provincial government.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The second phase of a berm in Harlow area will move ahead after councillors approved the major capital budget addition at Monday’s meeting.
The measure to spend $3.5 million next year, extending the Harris Street berm behind Finlay Court, would be paid for in half by a provincial government grant that is set to expire.
It also could be one of the final berm projects approved in the mitigation plan drawn up after the 2013 flood as planners and council consider shelving remaining “low priority” projects until more funds are available.
“It’s incumbent upon us to use these dollars wisely and a small injection of $1.7 million against a grant (of $1.8 million) will go a long way in protecting that area,” said Dumanowski, who chairs council’s infrastructure committee.
“It’s money well spent and we’d hate to see money go back to the province when it’s the last kick at the can.”
The grant comes from a previous outlay from the Alberta Community Resiliency Program, which is the province’s main flood mitigation funding program, but was wound up this year in the recent provincial budget.
If it’s not spent specifically on a local mitigation project, it would be rescinded, but one councillor said that’s not enough reason to add to the city’s capital budget if the project isn’t needed.
Coun. Kris Samraj said that in light of the city’s budget, the funds to protect 14 houses on Finlay Court was too high, and the money could be spent on projects that had wider benefit, or simply saved.
“It’s always a judgment call on how to best protect areas, but this doesn’t meet my standards,” he told council.
Coun. Jim Turner said he supported the project that would also better protect homes throughout Harlow as it would better prevent water from “wrapping around” the existing berm and backfilling the low-laying community.
Samraj said planners presented a $500,000 option to cap off the existing berm to accomplish the same thing, though without building on a steep grade behind Finlay Court.
“These are the hard decisions we may have to start making,” he said.
The city’s share of construction costs would come from the Community Capital Fund.
This fall administrators said they would present a final schedule to either complete or delete projects suggested after the 2013 flood.
Outstanding projects include measures along the Seven Persons Creek, which typically backs up when the South Saskatchewan River is high and floods portions of the South Flats.
The joining of in-place berms near Strathcona Island Park and Industrial Avenue has been approved but is waiting on a long discussed land purchase.
A plan to berm behind houses on the south side of First Street N., in Riverside, was shelved when landowners whose properties extend to the river’s edge could not agree on the project.
There, emergency planners would build a temporary flood wall down the middle of First Street during a high-water crises to protect the rest of the community.
Berms in Lions Park, Riverside, behind the Medicine Hat Arena, the city’s water treatment plant and power plant are complete, as are upgrades to storm drain outfalls and a removable flood wall that protects the city hall parkade entrance on River Road.
