Airports grant money will cover 95% cost of two city snow tractors

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 7, 2022.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Medicine Hat Regional Airport will replace two large snow tractors in 2022 with a federal grant paying for almost all of the $870,000 purchases.

Thursday’s meeting of council’s infrastructure committee heard the two units – a 1998 Case front-end load and a tractor and snow-blower unit dating from 1993 – were both scheduled to be replaced after more than two decades in service.

An Airports Capital Assistant Grant for fleet improvement was awarded to the city to cover $828,000, or about 95 per cent of the estimated cost.

The remaining $43,600 would be paid out of the city’s fleet reserve account.

Both pieces of machinery are seeing more break-downs, according to fleet services officials, and the blower has been set for replacement since 2019, though that was held as grant funding was sought.

The loader had been scheduled to be retired and replaced in 2023.

The related amendments to the city’s fleet purchasing budget require council approval on Jan. 17.

Well work in parks

Residents can expect to see city-contracted crews in several parks next week as they permanently abandon four natural gas wells.

Four locations will be released Friday ahead of several days of work next week that could include portions of urban parks and some traffic detours.

“It shouldn’t take long as we expect it to take between three or four days,” said division head Brad Maynes, who said well-bore work will be completed, then crews would remove surface components at a later date.

Once reclaimed, the land will be used as general parkland.

As well, Maynes said a private well operator will also be performing work at the well located on the property of the former ADM Mill near the intersection of Allowance and Kingsway avenues.

“The city’s responsibility there is traffic control,” he said.

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