The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Roofs, pipes and cleaner drinking water dominate the City of Flin Flon's list of planned capital projects for 2013. City council's draft 2013 budget, released to the media last week, includes $1.14 million in capital spending. A quarter of that amount, $355,000, has been set aside for new roofs at the Community Hall, RCMP detachment and library. That includes $160,000 for the Community Hall, $95,000 for the police station and $70,000 for the library. Related mechanical work for all of the roofs comes to $30,000. As of Monday, only the library roof had not been completed. Ongoing work to replace water mains beneath Green Street, between Phelan and Elm avenues, is projected to eat up $300,000. Council has also allocated $142,845 for a new loader, which has already arrived, and $135,000 for flushports, hydrants and valves, which are part of ongoing projects. The city's share of the new water treatment plant, necessary to ensure Flin Flon drinking water meets health standards, totals $114,000 this year. The city hopes to have the treatment plant operational by next month. See 'Piping' on pg. Continued from pg. Other planned or completed capital expenditures this year consist of: $100,000 for new piping beneath a section of Bracken Street (completed). $90,000 for the city's share of a new storm sewer for Oak Avenue, as well as related road work and curbing (completed). $60,000 for a water and sewer replacement project on Hapnot Street (not completed). $52,000 for the new public walking track at the Whitney Forum (completed). $20,000 toward a heat recovery system at the Aqua Centre (not completed). $17,300 for a steam unit (has not yet arrived). $15,000 for bricks to replace a collapsed portion of wall in front of City Hall (not completed). $12,000 for asphalt on Balsam Avenue (completed). $4,000 for security cameras and Wi-Fi at the landfill. The Wi-Fi will allow staff to accept debit payments (not completed). Total capital spending represents a 28 per cent decrease from 2012. Council will present the proposed budget to the public at a meeting to be held tomorrow, Thursday, at 7 p.m. at the city hall council chambers. A majority of council has already approved the first and second reading of the draft budget. Third and final reading could come as early as this Tuesday, Aug. 20. As previously reported, the budget calls for a 0.99 per cent increase to the mill rate, the portion of property taxes charged to homeowners. The commercial mill rate would rise 0.03 per cent. The proposed budget brings overall spending down by $322,000 versus last year, to $11.37 million.
