cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City planners have compiled a list of local infrastructure projects for the provincial government to consider if money comes available in an economic plan to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, the News has learned.
The effort stems from talks between cities, towns and local governments and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, said Mayor Ted Clugston, who described the exercise as gathering an inventory in case grants or programs are expanded to create jobs and help flatten the local unemployment rate.
“I don’t like the term ‘shovel ready’ because we couldn’t start tomorrow, but we could ramp up quickly,” said Clugston. “If the province wants to stimulate the economy here, then we’ll be ready.”
He described projects on the list as substantial, each budgeted to cost $5 million or more, but wouldn’t provide details about the nature, scope or location.
That comes after a hard slowdown on capital construction in the city from a civic building boom in the mid-2000s, to the current budget which focuses squarely on needed maintenance, things like failing sewer pipes and storm drains.
The list was gathered after discussions with the province, amid calls from city leaders across Alberta about loosening debt limits during a low-interest environment and providing more cash for local construction or to tackle aging infrastructure.
Last week, provincial Transportation Minister Ric McIver announced a doubling to $2 billion of the highways maintenance budgets, and Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda earmarked more funds for general maintenance and upgrades of schools.
Premier Jason Kenney told a news conference more announcements about capital investments to bolster economic activity would be forthcoming.
That comes after general infrastructure grants to cities from the province were set to drop by more than 10 per cent over two years.
In Medicine Hat, that means $1 million less per year by 2022 to help fund a capital construction budget that already paled in comparison to recent years.
Clugston said council and administrators are also committed to keeping the relatively small $25-million municipal construction program for 2020 in tact despite larger financial uncertainty.
“We’re going to continue with our (approved) programs; I noticed that a lot of cities are pulling back on roads and sewer work that they were going to do,” he said. “We’ll continue for the most part if it’s safe.”
Municipal leaders have called on provincial and federal governments to boost infrastructure grants and spending as a way to create employment and help blunt the effects of the economic slowdown resulting from calls for isolation.
On Tuesday, Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman said that city’s list would include completing a new Highway 3 bridge, a series of rail crossing upgrades and expansions of the agrimation grounds and city-owned airport.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said that moving forward on an original but delayed timetable for “Green Line” light rail transit construction is the most obvious way to create jobs quickly, but other, more minor projects like renovating affordable housing units, would add jobs safely.
In Medicine Hat, there are few hints in the city’s current 10-year capital plan about where, and on what ground could be broken this summer or fall.
That comes after a civic-building bonanza in the mid-2010s, when the airport was expanded, fire stations moved, major arena completed and berms built among a lengthy list of city projects.
The 2019-2022 city budget’s plan included a limited capital plan centred mainly on maintenance projects and replacing or upgrading aging infrastructure, like pipes, roads and storm sewers.
Up until then, city budgets typically included one major road project in each three- or four-year cycle, but as budgets tightened and city growth slowed, the next major arterial road project was pushed beyond 2023.
There are no new major city buildings on the 10-year plan that includes 120 non-utility projects that are considered a priority by 2028.
