Champlain Township council has settled on its capital projects for 2019. The capital expenditures are expected to be approved as part of the 2019 municipal budget on March 12, 2019.

In 2019, two kilometres of Ritchance Road are to be improved, at a cost of $264,031; this cost will be covered by revenue from federal gas tax, meaning that this expenditure will not be paid by property tax revenues.

Granular material will be added to 1.2 kilometres of Aberdeen Road at a cost of $40,000; this cost will be picked up by taxpayers, as will $47,070 of a total $80,000 to be spent on applying a double surface treatment to 400 metres of Duval Road. Funding in the amount of $32,930 will make up the difference.

A double surface treatment will be applied to Pleasant Corner Road West, expected to cost $150,000 and this will be covered by a grant to be received by the township.

About $35,000 will be borrowed by Champlain Township to purchase a 3/4-tonne pick-up truck (4 x 4) and $140,000 will be borrowed to purchase a new single-axle plow for the roads department, which is using $100,000 from a reserve to make the purchase.

Improvements to a municipal garage, located in the West Hawkesbury Ward, will be done at a cost of $12,000, which will be paid for directly by property tax revenue.

About $95,000 in improvements to bridges and handrails will be done, thanks to $95,000 in provincial funding. Improvements to Bay Road and a King Street upgrade, at a cost of $1.7 million, will be undertaken, if $1,133,333 in provincial grants are received, in which case the municipality will finance the remaining $566,667.

Cross culverts, at a cost of $30,000 and work on Elgin Street, at a cost of $40,000, will be undertaken and paid for directly by property tax revenue.

For parks and recreation, $139,000 has been allocated for a splash pad at Sacha’s Park in L’Orignal. About $87,000 is expected in the form of federal grants, $11,900 will be used from a reserve and $40,100 will come from property tax revenues.

Cement and installation work at a municipal park will cost $10,000 and it will cost $20,000 to dismantle the outdoor rink and remove the Maison des Jeunes building in L’Orignal. Those two costs will be paid for from property tax revenues.

Replacing anchors at the L’Orignal Marina ($14,000) and patching the wave breakers at the marina ($40,000) were deferred.

A 3/4-tonne dumper truck will be purchased for the recreation department at a cost of $47,000, which will be financed and therefore will be paid for by property tax revenue.

A new outdoor rink for L’Orignal ($50,000) and about half of the work involved for a new garage for the Vankleek Hill Community Centre arena ($40,000) have been deferred, as has adding aluminum siding to the west side of the arena, which would have been at a cost of $15,000.

Part of the work to construct a new garage at the arena ($40,000) will be undertaken this year, with the remaining portion of the work to be completed next year.

A new rescue van will be purchased for Rescue Station One (Vankleek Hill), at a cost of $250,000. The amount of $125,000 will be borrowed and $50,000 will be used from reserves, but $75,000 will be funded by property tax revenues. Likewise, $20,000 in repairs to the Vankleek Hill Fire Station, along with $10,000 in repairs to the L’Orignal Fire Station, will be funded by property tax revenues.

Repairs to the brick on the Champlain Library building in Vankleek Hill have been budgeted at $60,000, to be funded by property tax revenues.

Champlain Township will borrow $25,000 to prepare a plan for land in the Vankleek Hill Business Park.

Water meter replacement for Vankleek Hill and L’Orignal will cost $750,000, which would be financed in full by provincial grants (the township has yet to submit a grant application), a new Scada computer system for the L’Orignal Standpipe, at a cost of $40,000 will be financed by municipal reserves. A section of water main along Bay Road will be repaired at a cost of $40,000, likewise to be financed by reserves.

Champlain Township will borrow $500,000 to pay for remaining work on its portion of the Highway 34 connecting link water and sewage main work.

In all, $414,170 in capital costs will be paid for by property taxes.