MOUNT FOREST – A modest-sized group gathered at the base of the water tower here on Oct. 13 to celebrate the completion of the three-month refurbishment project.
Ryan DeVries of B. M. Ross engineering services noted the $1.54-million dollar facelift includes “not only what you see on the outside, but the inside was redone as well including safety upgrades for climbing.”
Since the project received funding from all three levels of government, municipal, provincial and federal politicians were on hand to celebrate.
Wellington North councillor Lisa Hern remarked, “driving into town today I noticed that it looks so nice and bright and light. We’re really proud of it. A secure supply of water is one of the most important things that a community can have.”
Hern also thanked the community for its cooperation with the water use restrictions.
Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae said, “it’s wonderful to see a local community do such great work. Mount Forest is a great place to live and work and raise a family. Both Mount Forest and Arthur are growing and need water. We continue to advocate for that at our level of government.”
Perth-Wellington MP John Nater noted that “despite the $451,000 provided by the federal government for this project, it’s nice to see the bulk of the money being raised by the municipalities.
“I was on municipal council for my area prior to becoming an MP and the last project I helped with was a water tower, so this kind of thing has a special place in my heart.”
Dale Small, manager of community and economic development for Wellington North, thanked everyone involved in the project, stating, “these things don’t happen without a great team.”
Referring to the tower being empty from May 17 to Aug. 18, Small said, “Not everyone was aware that the fire hydrants weren’t working for most of the summer. That wasn’t easy, and there are always potential implications, but it all went smoothly.”
Cory Schmidt, the township’s manager of environmental and development services, said “the main source of water for fire fighting was not available, and as you know, we had a challenging summer for Wellington North Fire [Service].
“Alternative plans had been put in place, and the fire department had to use them, and it worked.”
Another complication, according to Schmidt, was the power lines adjacent to the water tower.
“The power lines were almost touching the sides of the enclosure that was built around the tower. Wellington North Hydro had to move them and put in a new pole line.”
As for the Hamilton-based company that completed the actual work on the tower, Schmidt said, “Dayson stayed on schedule because they put in long hours, long days and even weekends.”
Schmidt went on to thank the Wellington North water department which, “had to plan a year in advance to run with the water tower out of service for 12 weeks.
“Plus, there’s a lot more that went on in the background that didn’t get recognized. I know that I lost a lot of sleep then, but I think everyone is sleeping better now.”
Schmidt also thanked the community and local businesses for abiding by the water use restrictions and concluded by saying, “this tower should provide safe water for our town for many decades to come.”
