I want to provide an update on the issues that have arisen regarding the amount of sand required to build the new waste water filter bed. We were originally toldto order 77,000 tonnesof sand. On October 5, AECOM identified that an additional 33,000 tonnes of sand were necessary to finish the construction of the new filtration system. On October 23, AECOM identified that another 15,000 tonnes were required.
Tackaberry has been a solid partner on this construction. They have stepped up to the plate on both occasions in October to produce the requisitioned sand and to have it all delivered on site by next week. Mr Tackaberry also kept the price of the additional sand at the same price of the original 77,000 tons, which was purchased in 2016.
In regard to how this sand will be paid for, the Village will make another application to the bank to cover the additional amount. We are waiting a few more weeks until the full amount is documented. I will keep you informed.
Council met this morning so that Councillors could be briefed on the latest request for sand. There are many complex issues involved when a contract does not unfold smoothly for which contractual legal advice has been obtained by the CAO andI. Councillors needed to be briefed on thecontractual advice provided by the lawyers and that portion of the meeting was held in-camera, which is permitted in law. Over the next couple of weeks, there will be other meetings in relation to the contract. When there is legal advice from our lawyer to discuss, these meetings will be held in-camera.
I realize this might be frustrating to a few people. Please understand that Council is working on your behalf and committed to achieving the best outcome for the municipality.
It seems like it has been a long time coming – for residents and business owners and Council. The waiting is over and the building of the new wastewater plant begins on Monday, July 24.
The tender was awarded to Selectra Construction Ltd, who will be using Hadovic Construction as its sub-contractor. The build is expected to take 120 days, which will bring us into mid-November. You will begin to see their vehicles on County Road 10 next week as they build a new driveway/road into the site to facilitate the heavy traffic of trucks delivering sand for the new system. Once the road is finished, the truck traffic into the site may be quite heavy at times as the amount of sand required for the system is significant.
AECOM Engineering has provided experienced oversight and on-site supervision of the build. Gaetan Beauchesne P.Eng has 25 years experience in water and waste water engineering and he will be overall in charge. Sara Mashaie P.Eng will be the on-site supervisor and has 8 years experience in water and waste water.
Paul Snider, CAO and Clerk is in charge for the Village and he is strongly supported by our engineer Max Christie, Manager of Infrastructure.
I have met with all of these individuals and shared with them our values and that the future growth of the Village rests with getting this right.
Council is supportive of this group of men and women and think they are a well qualified team to build the new wastewater system that allows the Village to grow.
I watched with hope for the Village as the Liberals unveiled their federal budget yesterday. The details are sketchy, however there is mention of green infrastructure grants for waste water treatment plants ($.50 from the municipality for each $1.00 from the government). MP Gord Brown is also working on our behalf to learn about the criteria and time lines. We will be awarding the contract for the detailed plans of the subsurface dispersal system to an engineering consulting company at our Council Meeting on April 4. The RFP has closed and a team of technical people are reviewing the submissions. The timing is good for us to make this grant application as we will soon be “shovel ready”.
Mr Bryce and I have concluded our meetings with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. I would summarize their comments after hearing our appeal for this year’s OCIF 2 grant – that they have heard about our serious concerns and encouraged us to apply for OCIF 3 grant in April/May ($.90 for each $1.00) – there is no money left for this construction year. We were also encouraged to ask to carry over the remaining portion of our OCIF 1 grant into 2017 when we apply for OCIF 3. No promises were made, however we never heard the word “no” in regards to moving forward.
The warm weather this winter and equipment freeze ups have made it very difficult to process effluent at the WWTP. To date we have only processed a small amount of effluent and the lagoons are at 95.5% full. According to our processing schedule, the lagoons should be down to 75% by January 18. At Committee of the Whole on Monday night, we reviewed the activity from the previous 3 years at the WWTP and have serious concerns about the volume of effluent in the lagoons. One of the major issues is that the flows to the plant have been 2 1/2 times higher in December than in November. There is little doubt that sump pumps emptying into the system are partly to blame.
With the unpredictability of both the weather and our equipment, we made the decision to haul 10,000 cubic metres from the WWTP to Smiths Falls, beginning tomorrow (Wednesday). We simply could not risk another weather event like last week’s torrential rains. We will continue to process effluent at every opportunity.The cost of hauling is grant eligible from the money that we have received for remediation to the lagoons.
I will keep you updated on our progress throughout the winter. Please contact the Councillor of your choice or me (273-9195) if you have any questions.
It has been 6 months since the new Council began its term and I was sworn in as your Mayor. The new Committees of Council were established in February and by March meetings were taking place. Many residents of Westport are members of the committees and I expect amazing things to occur with their valued input and efforts. The Committee of the Whole is a new monthly meeting of Council, a little less formal than Council meetings and is generally the 4th Tuesday and yes, it is open to the public.
Westport Snowfluent Waste Water Treatment Plant
In regard to the waste water plant, I am happy to report that we did not need to transport any effluent this year. Although we had a winter of freezing nozzles and pipe breaks, we processed enough effluent that our lagoon levels were lower this spring than in 2014. We monitored the lagoon levels daily and had a contingency plan in place to transport effluent if the lagoon levels rose beyond predetermined levels during the winter. We are in the process of getting the summer application equipment set up and will be operating under a Ministry of the Environment Emergency Order again this year to lower the lagoons to where they need to be for next winter.
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The Village is also moving forward in providing a climate-proof, dependable waste water system and one that will allow growth for the Village. The first step is a process called a Municipal Environment Assessment (MEA). This is a prescriptive process, which is led by an Engineering firm with the assistance of a technical steering committee, which includes several Village residents. The Project Coordinator reports to Council on the progress of the MEA at each Council meeting this year. Please consider joining us at Council meetings to hear what is being proposed.
Council worked with a consultant this winter and spring to develop a Village Strategic Plan, a first for Westport. Many members of the business community and public were interviewed by the consultant for their input. A strategic plan helps Council prioritize its goals in line with the budget. The final plan will be shared with Council at the Committee of the Whole meeting on June 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Winter turned into spring slowly this year so our “Pulling Together in Westport” spring clean up was held on Saturday, May 9th. Over 40 community members volunteered their time, effort and rakes to get the Village ready for the May long week-end and summer. Thank you to everyone who helped out. Watch for this to repeat in 2016.
Recently, village residents Bob Scott and Mark Herlehy approached me with a proposal to help the arena. They had done a review of repairs and improvements that need to be done. The “wish list” was well thought out, however as the Village has many other pressures, there is only a small amount of money set aside in the budget for repairs to the community centre. And this is when Bob and Mark offered their suggestion, which I accepted!
Those now using the facility or who have fond memories of time spent on the ice or in the stands might consider becoming a “Friend of the Arena” by making a donation. Donations made to the Village of Westport for arena improvements qualify as gifts for income tax purposes and the Village would issue receipts. All donations will only be used for this purpose. For further information contact Mark Herlehy at mherlehy@rideau.net. or Frank Huth at fhuth@villageofwestport.ca.
I hope you enjoy a long, hot summer and that you spend time with loved ones. As always, if you have any questions, please contact a Councillor or myself.
Robin, The Mayor 
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