The well-trodden floor of the Martensville Civic Centre is slated to get a new lease on life later this year.
Martensville City Council voted at its May 17 meeting to approve the replacement of the floor in the building which houses Great Plains College (GPC) classrooms as well as the city’s library branch and community-run visitors centre.
The cost of the project is being shared by the college, the library, and the city. The project was approved earlier this year by GPC officials and the library board.
The city’s contribution to the new flooring project totals $27,300, and will be sourced from the existing Parks Infrastructure Reserve. The project was not included in the city’s 2022 budget, which necessitated dipping into the reserve fund.
The new flooring is one of several capital projects approved by city council at the May 17 meeting which are drawing money from the Parks Infrastructure Reserve. Five projects that had been included in the city’s 2022 budget are costing more than anticipated due to increased costs.
These include a pool pump, upgrades to the Martensville Athletic Pavilion (MAP) facade, camp kitchen roof repairs, MAP floor replacement, and resurfacing the spray park. A total of $15,500 will be taken from the Parks Infrastructure Reserve to cover the higher costs of the projects.
While councillors weren’t happy about pulling money out of the reserve, there’s no danger of it running dry. The balance of the Parks Infrastructure Reserve fund that will be remaining at the end of December, 2022 is anticipated to be $392,295.
Martensville City Council also voted at its May 17 meeting to approve increases in rental and admission rates for civic recreation facilities, including the MAP, North Ridge Centennial Community Centre, Sports Centre and Aquatic Centre.
A new rental fee for booking exclusive use of the outdoor rink adjacent to the sports centre is also being implemented this year.
The higher fees are aimed at cover the city’s increased operating and maintenance costs.
A report from the city’s public works department tabled at the May 17 council meeting indicated that the city’s water replacement program is just over 50% complete
The city currently has about 3,100 water meters, all of which are slated to be upgraded to units that are able to be read using built-in radio frequency (RF) technology, allowing city staff to read the meters remotely.