At the end of March, Niverville’s council sent out a revision to their original town water plan. Business owners and residents along the first-phase route for infrastructure installation were given until April 8 to ask questions of council and opt in to the plan.
“The response to the project itself has been positive,” says Mayor Myron Dyck. “The issue has been around who should pay for [water infrastructure] and how much [each should pay]. But as to the merit of the project, [it was] well received.”
In the new proposal, the town will cover all costs for the main water line as well as fire hydrants. Property owners have the option of paying nothing at all with the understanding that hooking up to the main line in the future will be at full cost. Those who choose to hook up immediately will be required to pay their frontage fee, at a reduced rate, to have a curb stop installed on their property as well as a line from the main line to the curb stop.
As of April 8, approximately 50 percent of the property owners signed up to pay for their frontage fee. This does not necessarily constitute 50 percent of the cost, since different frontage fees apply to each landowner.
“Council is going ahead with the project,” says Dyck. “[The] next step is [to let] the engineers know how many connections there will be. [We] will have the project put together to go to tender shortly.”
Dyck says they are hoping for a tender to happen by June. In this case, construction should begin in July or August with an approximate October completion date. That way, they will still be able to take full advantage of government funding.
“We appreciate the sincere thought and effort that the town council has put into this project,” says Kenton Pilek of Spectis Moulders Inc. “The new plan, as set out in the letter, suits the current needs of both Spectis Moulders and Exclusive Cabinetry, while also allowing for future connection to the water system as required."
At least one homeowner along the route was happy with the deal as well.
“The revision was a more reasonable and equitable compromise than the initial proposal,” says resident Brent Byggdin. “I appreciated the effort Mayor Dyck made to respond to the various points and concerns I raised. Given the curb cap hookup cost adjustment from the original proposal put forward, I believe it offers reasonable cost shared value for both the town and the homeowner.”
