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City of Powell River to apply for infrastructure grant

Money would help reduce costs at recreation complex
Powell River Recreation Complex
PROJECT FUNDING: City of Powell River councillors voted to apply for a federal-provincial infrastructure program that would bring cost savings and reduce the carbon footprint of Powell River Recreation Complex. Peak archive photo

City of Powell River will apply to participate in a federal and provincial fund to help underwrite a heat recovery project at Powell River Recreation Complex.

At the September 17 city council meeting, councillors considered a recommendation that would involve applying for more than $1.1 million from the Green Infrastructure - CleanBC Communities Fund, and to allocate up to $483,000 from the Powell River Community Forest fund to cover the city’s portion of the project costs.

Councillor CaroleAnn Leishman said this was the third component of the thermal energy study that was conducted at the recreation complex. She said grant funding had previously been received for heating system upgrading and optimization of a control system. She said the heat recovery for the ice plant had been put on hold until external funding sources became available.

“It has now been announced,” said Leishman.

She said the three projects combined would save more than $100,000 in utility costs annually and would reduce the carbon footprint of the recreation complex by 79 per cent, which is “quite a substantial amount.”

Mayor Dave Formosa said it would be financially well worthwhile for the city.

Councillor George Doubt said he wanted to outline why this is such a good deal for the people of Powell River. He said the money was springing from government money for shovel-ready projects.

“Our project was shovel-ready because we have been taking advantage of grant money from FortisBC to do studies of the recreation complex, planning upgrades and preparing projects that we could do when we could afford it,” said Doubt. “We were well ahead of the game on this process and we are ahead of the game because we have used FortisBC money.

“It’s $1.1 million of federal government money that’s going into the project, which reduces the cost immensely for city taxpayers, and $483,000 is from the community forest reserve, which is money the city has in a bank account created by this community for exactly this kind of thing.”

Doubt said what the project is going to do is save nearly $55,000 per year in the cost of operating the recreation complex. He said that means all of the money the city actually pays out is going to be paid back within eight years.

“I don’t think you could find a better project or better return on investment anywhere, and I am enthusiastically in favour of doing this,” said Doubt.

Councillor Rob Southcott said from a financial standpoint, as Doubt had pointed out, it’s a no-brainer.

He said he anticipates sometime in the future, during the time of our children, people will look back and say they are really grateful and glad the city was able to make this change now.

“I anticipate, as the years go by, there is going to be a much bigger rush on money to do exactly the same thing,” said Southcott. “Being at the forward edge of this means we will probably keep that wonderful facility that we have had for years now, years into the future.

“We are preserving something. Looking back at today from the future, we are doing something that I expect will be a lot more significant than we even recognize today from the carbon emissions standpoint and financial standpoint.”

Formosa said, “let’s hope we get the grant.”

Council approved the grant application and potential community forest fund expenditure unanimously.