Springfield waits for environmental licence for water treatment plant

The RM of Springfield has advanced its water treatment plant project and is awaiting approval from the environmental board for a licence.

“It’s 18 months in the works. So, we had a meeting with the deputy minister at the AMM and we’re hoping to hear something soon. It’s imperative that we get that licence and get things going in the RM,” said Mayor Pat Therrien, who noted with concern that the more the project is delayed the more expensive it is likely to get.

“We worked so hard at this. It’s 14 years overdue. The money is in the bank. It’s ready to go.”

Therrien said once the licence is given, the tender can go out.

The $29.4 million budget will pay for a new plant, upgrades to the existing Dugald and Oakbank plants, two new raw water wells, pipes, and other associated work. The cost includes a 20 percent contingency, according to a previous article in The Carillon.

Springfield has received $4.95 million from the Manitoba Water Services Board, the province has given $10.6 million, and $6.2 million is coming from the RM.

The RM has a borrowing bylaw of $12.5 million, but it will only need $8.8 million with the current interest rate of 6.5 percent. CAO Colleen Draper stated in an email that the interest rate can change when council amends the borrowing bylaw when the actual project costs are received.

The RM has also raised the water rate from $2.30 to $3.64 per cubic metre.

The water treatment plant project did have some opposition from members of the community and some on council. People who lived outside Dugald and Oakbank were not prepared to pay for the plant since no one paid for their wells, and they didn’t want those residents to benefit from something they couldn’t benefit from themselves.

Therrien said the project is for the benefit of the whole RM as it will mean businesses, industry, and high-density housing can be established in the municipality. It also means lower taxes for residents as industry and businesses have a higher tax rate, and it means a rec centre may finally come to fruition.

“(That’s) 32 years in the making,” said Therrien about the rec centre.

The mayor said the rec centre project might begin construction sometime around the construction of the water treatment plant, which hopefully will begin next year.

Money for the rec centre, which has been budgeted at $30.6 million, has already been raised: $20.6 million for the first phase where the rink and stands will be built, and $10 million for the second phase, which will see the field house built.

Therrien estimates it will take 18 to 24 months for the water treatment project and more than two years for the rec centre to be built.

One project that is almost close to completion is the public pool at Dugald Place Assisted Living Residence, where workers are currently enclosing the pool. That pool cost $2.9 million and is part of the larger $29 million Dugald Place project, which is set to have construction completed in September 2026.

The pool is 30 feet by 57 feet and can hold 50 swimmers. It will have three lanes, a depth of 1.8 metres, and private lockers in the change room.