Local residents feel bridges are no small matter.
The Feb. 15 meeting at the Belwood town hall featured resident after resident citing concerns over timelines in which local bridges would be replaced, repaired or have weight and/or height restrictions lifted.
Bridges are expensive to replace and Centre Wellington currently has 13 closed bridges with another 11 being considered as ‘critical’ – some have weight and height restrictions imposed.
Denis Vinette of the Belwood Lions Club was pleased to see the large attendance at the night’s meeting.
Most members of council along with key management staff were in attendance.
At the meeting’s outset, Centre Wellington Mayor Kelly Linton said he too was pleased to see the turnout at the fourth Belwood town hall event.
“We have lots of councillors here today … they work really hard on behalf of the community,” he said.
Linton said he hoped to provide plenty of time for questions from the audience.
“We know that Centre Wellington is huge. It encompasses 408 sq km, 108 bridges, 912km of roads – all that supported by less than 30,000 people,” he said.
He said provincial funding in the past was limited and unreliable.
“We have a challenge with infrastructure with 13 closed bridges and another 11 at risk,” he said.
Linton stated an asset management plan undertaken in 2016 recommended a 4.9% tax increase each year until 2030 to address infrastructure issues.
However, he also noted the township receives less than 27 cents for each tax dollar collected in property taxes.
The county share is roughly 57 cents with the remainder going to education taxes.
Linton said Centre Wellington’s roadmap for the current term of council is driven by extensive community consultation.
“It tells the community what we are going to do with tax dollars in the current term of council,” he said.
Linton said the roadmap also prevents council from making “short-sighted, knee-jerk reactions.”
The mayor added the township’s actions express what it’s priorities are.
“Blaming the province doesn’t fix our bridges,” he said.
“We need to take responsibility for addressing our infrastructure deficit.”
He said the 2% capital levy is to be used on bridges only – prioritized through the township’s asset management plan.
The intent is that the capital levy would continue to 2022 – should the next council continue with the levy, Linton said.
“It also requires we have a lean operating budget,” he said adding that Centre Wellington is one of the few small rural municipalities which has moved ahead with this levy.
The result of the levy has allowed construction of numerous bridges between 2015 and 2017.
In 2018, Linton said more bridge replacements are scheduled.
He agreed the St. David Street bridge replacement in Fergus is a huge project – which included $2.2-million of connecting link funding from the province.
Work on the Victoria Street pedestrian bridge is expected to begin shortly, he noted.
He said most of that is funded through the Jack R. MacDonald Trust.
Linton stressed the majority of this project is not being funded through tax dollars.
The township is moving ahead with an emergency generator for the Centre Wellington sportplex, which includes green energy and co-generation aspects.
He spoke of other programs to address asphalt issues on the worst urban roads.
Linton believes the capital levy charge is working by creating a source of funding to address infrastructure gaps in the township.
He said three West Garafraxa bridges are slated for rebuilds/replacements during the current term of council and another three are in the works for the next term.
“All our bridges have been prioritized,” he said. “I know it is not going to be done as fast as everyone would like.
“We would all like the bridges to be done now. We are doing as much as we can but recognize we can’t raise the tax rate to the amounts recommended by our asset management plan.”
Linton said it is balancing repair to the township infrastructure and keeping tax rates reasonable.
He noted there are concerns about how quickly the township is growing.
Linton said about 50% of Wellington County’s residential growth is slated for Centre Wellington.
“It looks like 48% of the employment growth will be here as well,” Linton said.
By 2041, Centre Wellington has a projected population of 52,300, “… that is significant growth.”
He pointed to the township undertaking a number of master plans to manage various aspects of that growth.
Linton said it continues to be important to lobby the province to let representatives know Centre Wellington does have concerns with projected growth targets.
“It is difficult for municipalities like Centre Wellington to grow at the rate projected and still maintain the small town atmosphere.”
Linton said traffic is worse than when he grew up in the area.
Transporation pressure
“As we grow, there are going to be more pressures on transportation.”
The transportation master plan will provide a good sense of what is needed to deal with that growth.
Linton said the township also wants to ensure that municipal water rights are given priority.
He outlined various other aspects being undertaken by the township.
“We want to be a great place to live, and we want to continue to be a great place to live,” he said.
Resident questions
When it came to resident questions, most focussed not on overall initiatives of the township but issues closer to home.
The impact of closed bridges hit close to home – not just because of longer travel times – but the impact those times have on emergency services.
Others voiced concern over a perceived lack of signage regarding the St. David Street bridge closing and the lack of parking in downtown Fergus.
