By TERRY PUGH
The good news is the aging Martensville Sports Centre will be getting a new arena ice plant this year.
The even better news is Martensville property owners won’t have to shell out directly for the hefty investment.
The ice plant, expected to cost $486,469, will replace the existing plant that is struggling along on its last legs. The new ice plant was originally slated to be paid for out of the city’s 2024 capital budget.
However, the money will now be coming from the Canada Community Building Fund (CCBF – formerly known as the Gas Tax Fund).
In a report to the Martensville City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 16, Martensville Director of Recreation and Community Services Roxane Melnyk said the gas tax funding was originally earmarked for two projects: the pedestrian overpass over Highway 12, and the Centennial Drive North Design project.
However, the gas tax funds must be spent prior to December 31, 2024. And since the design, let alone the construction, of the Highway 12 pedestrian overpass is still many months down the road, the city needs to reallocate a portion of the funds so they can be invested before the end of this calendar year.
The city will utilize $486,469 of the CCBF funding to purchase and install the ice plant and condensers for the Martensville Sports Centre.
An additional $100,000 in CCBF funds will go toward the design of Centennial Drive North and 3rd Street North project; while the remaining $75,300 of the CCBF funds will go toward the 4th Street South paving project.
Some of the funds originally allocated to the arena ice plant in the city’s 2024 capital budget will now be redirected to other pressing projects, while the remainder will go back to reserves.
Martensville City Council voted at its meeting July 16 to earmark $105,000 toward rebuilding the culvert crossing in North Hills Park, and also to upgrading the exterior walls, windows, doorways and roof of the Martensville RCMP detachment building. Both these projects were unplanned, but need to be done this year.
“The reallocation of these funds will allow a culvert crossing that was removed last fall due to safety concerns to be replaced,” stated a city administration report to the July 16 council meeting. “The intent was to replace the culvert crossing in the spring of 2024; however, the cost to replace the culvert crossing came in greater than what could be covered in the operating budget.”
The reallocation of funds will also allow city administration to address concerns regarding the condition of the envelope of the existing RCMP detachment building.
“An assessment of the building was completed, and it was determined that there were immediate repairs that needed to take place to address any further deterioration of the building,” stated the report.
A total of $381,469 from the 2024 capital budget will be returned to reserves.
