You can’t accuse the City of Estevan of considering a lavish project for the funding it will receive from the federal government through the Gas Tax Fund.
The city is looking to direct the money towards upgrades at the water tower. It wants ensure the tower is sound, and make sure that the technology is in place for the structure to continue to serve the community.
Updgrades to the water tower would still be subject to Estevan city council's approval before going ahead, and they would be in the 2020 budget.
The water tower is, of course, an Estevan landmark. It’s one of the most recognizable and distinctive buildings in the city, and it’s instantly recognizable for residents and visitors alike.
Like many Saskatchewan communities, our water tower plays an important role in our landscape and in the delivery of a key service. When you drive past other communities with such a tower, you are able to recognize it because of that structure.
In a way, water towers are kind of like the grain elevators that were at one time so prevalent for our Prairie landscape. You knew you were approaching a town like Oxbow or Lang because you could see the elevator and the water tower.
The number of elevators is diminishing, but many of the water towers still remain.
It’s also getting up there in age. There aren’t many people in town who could tell you just how old our water tower is. Most will tell you it was constructed at some point in the 1940s or the 1950s. And so it means that it’s time for some upgrades.
This is money that can’t just be sent anywhere. It needs to go to water infrastructure, roads or recreation. And the projects need to have federal approval.
There are people in Estevan who would likely wish the city would direct this money from the national gas tax to something different, such as water main replacements or road repairs. They’ll suggest we spend the money on the last remaining portion of King Street from Kohaly Avenue to Cundall Drive. Or they’ll want to see $700,000 on residential road repairs, although it’s hard to say just how many roads you’d complete with this money.
The city has already said it would move forward with a resurfacing of Souris Avenue South from Fourth Street to the junction with Highway 18, thanks to support from the provincial government. Not sure if that project would be eligible for the Gas Tax Fund support.
It’s highly unlikely the city’s water intake project, which is shifting the primary water source from Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam, would be eligible, since that project already received a big injection of federal funds back in 2016.
Others would like to see money spent on recreation facilities, but there doesn’t appear to be a project that would be ready for this funding. We still a ways away from moving forward with the next big project, such as a new third arena or a field house.
There are plenty of people in the city who would like to see an outdoor pool constructed in Estevan, or upgrades made to the existing RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre, but, again, those projects aren’t even close to moving forward.
So it means that the city will look at a project like the water tower. Repairs are needed. So that’s good. You might want something that’s going to be a little more exciting, but we can agree this needs to be done. The water tower isn’t just a part of our city’s skyline.
Like other communities, Estevan has no shortage of needs when it comes to water infrastructure, road and recreation projects.
This double-up of funding is likely to be a one-time only thing. It’s not a coincidence that the feds came out with this extra gas tax money during an election year.
It’s unlikely that this money will be available again in the future.
So it’s important for the city to direct this funding in the right direction. It’s not just enough to spend the money on a project that is supported by the federal government, they need to spend the money on a project that will have the public’s support.
