Loni Beach Sewer Project Update
September 28th, 2009
This is the first of a series of communications the RM will be providing to you regarding the Loni Beach sewer project. Notices will be posted regarding the project on the Municipal Website, www.gimli.ca . to provide information as it becomes available.
On July 7th, 2009 the Manitoba Municipal Board gave formal approval to the Loni Beach Borrowing Authority By-Law 08-0020.
At the August 5th, 2009 Council Meeting, Council gave 2nd and 3rd reading to By-law 08-0020 authorizing the required borrowing for the Loni Beach Sewer Project. The Municipality has now signed the Engineering Agreement for the project with JR Cousin. The Engineers will be out in early October to complete the field survey for the design of the system.
To assist the engineers with the design of the project, property owners should identify the location for the sewer service line connection on their property line with a wooden stake marked “Sewer Connection” by October 12th, 2009 otherwise the engineers will make a determination for the location of the sewer service line connection based on the site layout and location of buildings. Consultation with a plumber is recommended to determine a suitable connection location.
The following information may be of assistance in determining your connection location
- Holding tanks cannot be directly connected to the sewer system and old tanks must be drained and then either removed, crushed and buried or filled with sand.
- The Engineer will by separate Tender obtain a per meter cost plus materials for the connection of the building to the sewer service connection provided at the property line. Property owners will be given the opportunity to participate in this phase of the project and will pay the contractor directly for this service. Property owners can also obtain their own contactor to complete this work but would then be required to apply for a sewer connection permit at a cost of $ 100.00 to allow for the costs for Municipal staff to inspect the installation.
- You will be required to connect your residence to the sewer system within30 days of completion of the sewer project.
Once the design is complete in approximately January 2010, the Tender will be advertised. The tender would be awarded in February of 2010 at which time the Municipality will be in a position to advise the property owners of the design costs and accurate timelines to complete the project.
We are expecting to have the project set up for construction prior to the spring road restrictions going in to place with a targeted completion date of early May 2010.
Once the project is completed the property owner must choose one of the following 2 options for the parcel levy payment:
- A single payment currently estimated at $ 10,800.00 to be made within 30 days of the completion of the project.
- An annual levy for 20 years on the tax bill in the estimated amount of $ 1014.00.
The debenture financing rates are currently around 6.00 to 6.50 %. There is no provision under Municipal Financing procedures for property owners to prepay only a portion of the parcel levy or to finance it over a shorter time period.
Property owners may want to consult with their financial institution to determine if it would be financially beneficial for them to borrow the monies to make payment under option 1 and then repay the loan on their own terms. The project costing is based on a parcel levy per existing Certificate of Title.
If you have multiple titles you will be charged the parcel levy for each title. Property Owners that have multiple properties, roll numbers and Certificates of Titles should take the necessary steps to have the properties merged to one roll number and one title if the intention is to have only one sewer service connection to their property.
This process can be done through the Winnipeg Land Titles Office. Phone 1-204-945-8531. The process should be completed before November 30th, 2009 in order for the information to be provided to the Engineers for the project design.
You will need to have your property tax bills, roll numbers and title information when making the request to Winnipeg Land Titles. The Municipality and the Loni Beach Sewer Association contacted Provincial/Federal Officials to determine if there were any opportunities in 2010 for funding the project through the Infrastructure Program or the Federal Stimulus Fund.
Officials have confirmed that funding is not available from either source. The Project does not meet the criteria of the Green Municipal Fund current project intake which remains in place until March 31, 2010.
If any of these programs change their intake criteria in the future the Municipality will make application for funding. The Manitoba Water Services Board only provides funding for projects that service primary residences and does not fund projects for seasonal properties or secondary homes.
Joann King CMMA CAO Gimli
