Town scheduled to spend $20 million on capital projects in 2019

by Colin Smith

Morinville will be spending more than $20 million on capital projects next year according to the 2019 capital plan given first reading by Town Council on Tuesday.

That includes $19,520,367 on works in progress, and $1,181,025 in new capital spending.

The biggest ticket item is continued spending on the Morinville Community Recreation Facility, with a total of $16,253,893 to go toward construction, site servicing and trail development.
Other major ongoing projects include affordable housing, cost $702,055, the Westwinds traffic signal design and installation, $450,000, and 2018 road rehabilitation and neighbourhood revitalization, $396,024.

In addition, tax funds will go to the Jessica Martel project, Public Works lot parking, Pedestrian Building and traffic signal design, also still in progress.

Spending of $1,416,651, funded by utility rates, will go to the ongoing Westwind Lift Station and Westwinds Forcemain to Business Park projects.

According to the plan, which will be open to public comment and possible changes before being adopted by council, $1,051,025 in tax money will be spent on a dozen new projects, including replacing the Fire Hall parking lot, road/sidewalk rehabilitation and neighbourhood revitalization, a transportation master plan, park/sports field development, Town Office window replacement, utilities upgrades and a community event trailer.

There will also be $130,000 in new utilities-funded project spending.

Council was also presented with the 2019-2038 Long Range Capital Plan. The plan foresees Morinville spending a total of $161,118,559 on capital projects over that time, with the bulk of spending – $112,765,569 – taking place in the 2024-2038 period.

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14 Comments

    • That’s exactly right someone buys the property from the town and builds on it. The only projects that are being built right now funded by the town is the recreation center and the middle school which we do need. Yeah it sucks that what buyers want to put here but it’s good for the town to not be left with empty not selling lots.

    • Tasha Read You are mostly correct.

      People do not buy land from the town. They buy it from people who own land in town. For example, all of that area where the McDonald’s is going was privately owned land.

      Most vacant parcels are privately owned.

      The rec centre is funded by the Town and sits on land the Town bought from a private owner.

      The middle school is being funded by the province and sits on land the Town is required to provide for schools.

    • Does the town have a say in what goes on that land though? Not to beat a dead horse… but why do we need to put another liquor store there? I get there’s nothing else going there or no offers (that I know of) in the ring at the moment, but when does someone step up and say “mmm we already have 5 of those… so no.”?

    • Towns and cities have a say as to where certain types of business can locate through zoning. Factories in industrial parks, gas stations on higher traffic streets, etc.

      Any attempt to prevent a business from opening a business in an area that was zoned for that type of business would be overturned in a court.

    • $$$ talks if people want 20 liquore stores cause they make money then that’s what they open … so people must be making money if they keep opening pizza and liquor stores .. that’s what sells in morinville I guess

    • The Toronto Star did a piece in the spring that said the per capita spending on alcohol in Alberta was $735. If you take Morinville’s population, and part of the reasonable surrounding area – you have about a 15,000 person draw.

      15,000 X $735 = $11,025,000

      That is a lot of booze bucks to support a lot of stores.

      We have no stats for pizza or sock spending per capita.

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