FORT FRANCES — A number of local projects will potentially see funding in 2025 as administrations presents town council with next year’s capital budget.
Council of the Town of Fort Frances held a special meeting on Monday, November 18, 2024, as part of its 2025 budget process. This particular meeting focused on the proposed Draft Capital Budget for 2025, the document that lays out the needs and wants of the various departments within the municipality and brings forward the projects, items and goals each has in order to get council’s approval.
The Draft Capital Budget 2025 amounts to $29,310,695, with $4,094,050 coming from the town’s capital reserve funds and a further $10,531,421 coming from the town’s Water and Sewer Reserve Funds. The remaining funds come from various levels of government, such as contributions, donations, or other sources.
The Draft Capital Budget document, prepared by town treasurer Dawn Galusha, notes that it intends to align with the Town of Fort Frances strategic plan by advancing its goals in several priority areas.
“The top strategic priority areas which are covered through this capital budget are: 1) Quality of Life through the Memorial Sports Centre, Parks, Museums and Sunny Cove Projects,” the report reads.
“2) Municipal Services and Infrastructure, including Fire gear, information technology upgrades, new equipment, various road reconstruction projects and building upgrades. 3) Economic growth will be achieved as we progress through the Woodyard development project as well as the Microgrid study. 4) Partnerships are a key in the success of the Town.”
The report notes that the Draft Capital Budget 2025 document contains partnerships with both the Rainy River District School Board (RRDDSB) and Fort Frances Power Corporation (FFPC) through several joint projects.
At Monday night’s meeting, Galusha read through the list of capital budget items on a category-by-category basis, stopping after each category to allow councillors to ask questions about or discuss particular line items.
The first category in the budget document was a holdover category for unfinished or not-yet-started capital items that were approved and budgeted for 2024. Galusha noted the capital carried over from 2024 amounts to $12,247,165.
Included in the capital carried-over items are the birthing for the Hallett and Owandem project, which Town of Fort Frances operations and facilities manager Travis Rob said is struggling to attract contractors to bid on the RFPs, the 52’s Arena brine pump controller upgrade, replacement of the HVAC system at the Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre, along with reconstruction of both Scott Street from Reid Avenue to Mosher Avenue and Third Street West from Central Avenue to York Avenue.
Also carried over from 2023 is $695,000 in funding for the rehabilitation of Sunny Cove Camp.
Rob noted that both road construction projects from 2024 have been tendered and awarded and that the town is working to have a “very early spring start” in order to see the road projects done within the 2025 calendar year.
He also noted that administration is finalizing drawings and specifications for the Sunny Cove Camp project, and Rob said he is hopeful they can begin the tender process over the winter and be in place to begin work in spring 2025. Rob said most of the other outstanding items should be “very much achievable” in 2025, though some will be weather-dependent to see completion.
The budget also features a section of items that Galusha said are dependent on receiving funding to move ahead, the most significant of which would be a $600,000 project to rehabilitate the McIrvine Rink and Park in the town’s west end, which the draft budget notes would focus on a covered pad, lighting, shack insulation and roof, park timbers and protective surface, and would potentially receive funding through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOFHC).
Another similar line item is a planned rehabilitation of the East End Hall, which would focus on dampproofing the basement, replacing the roof and HVAC system, and would also be dependant on NOHFC funding.
Coun. John McTaggart questioned the proposed expenditures at these two locations, and Rob noted the McIrvine rink is “by far” the town’s most heavily used outdoor rink, and is also in the worst condition, while the East end Hall work would be interior work that would allow the town to “fully utilize it for what it could potentially be.”
Another significant line item in the draft budget is a $2,739,841 reconstruction of Scott Street from Mosher Avenue to Armit Avenue, which the Budget notes would receive funding from the provincial government’s Connecting Links program, which covers 90 percent of eligible costs, and would thus provide $2,250,776 towards the project, with the town covering the remaining $489,065 through the Federal Gas Tax Reserve.
That portion of Scott Street also has an additional $985,760 allocated for the sanitary sewer replacement and $876,910 for the water distribution system replacement, both aspects of the project not eligible under Connecting Links, but which will be partially funded through provincial grants.
The town is also planning to do reconstruction work on a number of road surfaces within town limits in 2025, with $985,760 being budgeted for work on Lillie Avenue North, York Avenue North, Cornwall Avenue North and Pit Road 1.
The town is also seeking to replace two aging pieces of equipment in one of its tandem dump trucks and one of the accessibility vehicles, or “Handi-Vans.” Rob noted both vehicles are nearing the end of their usability due to wear and tear, with the dump truck having reached 15 years of operation, undergoing a fire and rebuild, and facing a $15,000 exhaust system replacement and potentially a motor replacement within the next two years, and the town’s Handi-Vans being “severely rusted out” according to Rob.
The operations and facilities manager noted he has been trying to keep the budget requests to one large ticket item per year, recognizing that many of the town’s vehicles are in need of replacement but wanting to spread the financial impact out as much as possible.
“What I’ve been trying to do over the last probably five years is to space out the replacement of our large equipment,” Rob said.
“Over the last five years, I’ve tried to do one big thing a year, because we have a backlog. So we’ve done a sand truck one year, a tandem one year. We still have an old grader that needs to be replaced. We have a street sweeper that’s coming up on due for replacement.
"We have other things in the future that we’re trying to stay cognizant of as well, so that we’re not stuck having a multiple large equipment purchases in any given one year.”
Monday night’s meeting was the first of the official budget deliberation meetings, though it did accept input from the public at a previous meeting.
According to the town’s schedule of budget deliberations, the next meeting will be part of council’s regular meeting on Monday, November 25, 2024, where council will discuss user fees and water rates.
All council meetings are open to the public and can be joined online by viewing the meeting agenda on the town’s website at www.fortfrances.ca.
The draft capital budget 2025 can be viewed in full by accessing Monday night’s council meeting agenda.
Fort Frances Times / Local Journalism Initiative
