The completion of chlorine room upgrades at Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre and the final phases of the Upper Glenrosa Plan have been financially bolstered with nearly $185,000 from the federal Gas Tax Fund.
“The City of West Kelowna is extremely grateful for the Government of Canada’s support as our young municipality grapples with some of the greatest growth pressures in the province coupled with a tremendous need to replace aging rural services with modern, urban infrastructure," said Mayor Doug Findlater, City of West Kelowna.
The Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre chlorine room will receive $85,000, representing 100 per cent of project costs, through the federal Gas Tax Fund.
The centre's 25-year old chlorine room had reached the end of its useful life and required upgrades to meet modern health and safety standards and reduce operational costs and improve efficiency. The project had to be completed in September, to meet health guidelines and coincide with the aquatic centre’s annual maintenance shutdown.
The Upper Glenrosa Plan Phases 2 and 3 will receive $100,152, representing 100 per cent of project costs, through the federal Gas Tax Fund. Funds will be used to create an infrastructure servicing strategy for the area and a secondary access/egress out of the City of West Kelowna’s largest neighbourhood by population. Work on the next phases of the Upper Glenrosa Plan is expected to begin in the fall, as the Central Okanagan Planning Study is being completed.
The projects are among 57 that are being funded through the Strategic Priorities Fund under the Federal Gas Tax Fund for 2016.
The Union of BC Municipalities administers the Federal Gas Tax Fund in British Columbia in partnership with the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
“The federal Gas Tax Fund is helping local governments accelerate their capital investment plans. These investments will support improved levels of service for facilities in communities throughout BC," said Al Richmond, President, Union of BC Municipalities. "The 189 local governments that we represent appreciate the ongoing commitment of the Government of Canada to improving local infrastructure. We are also pleased with the valued support provided by the Province of British Columbia to deliver this program.”
Each year, the Government of Canada provides over $253 million in indexed funding for local government infrastructure projects across British Columbia through the federal Gas Tax Fund. The funding can be spent on any eligible project the community prioritizes across a broad range of eligible project categories, or pooled with other communities for regional projects, banked for later priorities or used to pay for financed projects.