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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The City of Flin Flon will discount high-end residential lots and help certain residents protect their homes from sewer backups. In a bid to spur housing starts, city council voted last week to offer rebates on the remaining lots on Roche and Murton boulevards. Council will now waive the purchase price on the 11 lots provided the purchaser builds a home worth at least $150,000. For every $1,000 in value above that amount, the city will deduct $50 from the debenture fee _ which ranges from $10,388 to $19,213 _ attached to the lots. 'So we want to get rid of those lots,' said Coun. Bill Hanson, who made the motion. 'We want people to build new homes.' The available lots are located at 177, 179, 182, 194, 202, 208 and 212 Roche Boulevard and 181, 183, 185 and 187 Murton Boulevard. Anyone who buys and builds a home on one of the lots will still pay the lot and debenture fees initially. Reimbursed But they will be reimbursed by the city if the assessed value of the home turns out to be $150,000 or more. The normal cost of buying these lots ranges from $4,795 to $6,305. The debenture fee represents the cost to the city of initially installing sewer and water lines to each of the lots. Council also voted to partner with the Manitoba government to help pay to install backwater valves and sump pumps in select Flin Flon homes. 'If we get applicants, we will consider the applicants based on the history of the neighbourhoods,' said Mayor George Fontaine. 'We'll be looking at areas and saying, 'Yeah, that's where we particularly need to try and (protect) some places.''' See 'Subs...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 The subsidy program will cover up to 60 per cent of the cost of installing a sewer/drainage backup system, to a maximum of $3,000 per household. That includes up to $1,000 for the installation of an approved in-line backwater valve and up to $2,000 toward the installation of a sump pump and pit-drainage system. The city and province will each split the cost of 60 per cent of installation, with the homeowner responsible for the remaining 40 per cent. The city has budgeted up to $30,000 a year for the program in both 2012 and 2013. Only Flin Flonners on the Manitoba side of the border may apply given that that province, not Saskatchewan, has partnered with the city. Council's participation in the funding program was quickly met with at least one unfavourable review. Concerned citizen Larry Ruckle, who attended the council meeting, said he was required to install a backwater valve with his own money when he built his home. With the city now offering financial aide, he demanded to know how he can secure reimbursement for that cost, but Mayor Fontaine said the program is not retroactive. The Manitoba government first unveiled the program in January 2011 in response to heavy rainfalls the previous summer as well as flood concerns. The cities of Winnipeg and Brandon were first on board. As of last month, 20 other municipalities had signed up. 'I encourage Manitobans to take advantage of this valuable program, which will give homeowners peace of mind that their homes are better protected,' Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux said in a news release.
