City drafts $400m wish list
150 projects in the offing for stimulus cash
April 28, 2009
Nicole Macintyre
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/556098
Hamilton council faces the dilemma that perplexes children every Christmas: Do you ask Santa for everything you want or just your top picks?
You don't want to appear greedy, but what if there's a little extra room on the sleigh?
The city is banking on Santa, or rather senior levels of government, feeling generous this year. By Friday, municipalities must submit their wish lists for infrastructure funding as part of the economic stimulus plans.
Hamilton has no idea how much it could get, but estimates it may be around $130 million in total from the federal and provincial governments, based on population.
"It could be less, it could be more," said Tony Tollis, acting head of finance.
Just to be safe, the city is submitting a prioritized, $400-million list that ranges from water projects to road repairs.
Several councillors debated yesterday if the city should shorten its list to avoid senior governments selecting projects that are less of a priority, but look better politically.
"I'm really worried we are going to see some picking and choosing," said Councillor Terry Whitehead.
Tollis said staff don't want to risk the city losing out on additional funding and plan to send a priority list with nearly 150 requests.
Other councillors questioned why staff ranked neighbourhood road repairs lower than projects such as $10 million for restoring the Auchmar mansion to create a curatorial centre, and $10 million for upgrading traffic lights.
Councillor Scott Duvall noted some residents have been waiting more than a decade to see their streets fixed. It's inexcusable, he argued, to place those projects as a lower priority on the request list.
"I'm not sure this is a list the public would put together," agreed Councillor Lloyd Ferguson.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger urged council not to politicize the list, noting staff were forced to work with the governments' criteria.
"This is a golden opportunity," he said. "I hope we don't trade it off for parochial projects."
Council agreed to move smaller road projects up the list, however they still fall below the cutoff if Hamilton only gets $200 million.
The city will be required to contribute one third of the funding, and projects must be completed within two years. Hamilton's estimated $65-million share would be on top of projects already planned. Tollis said the city will be able to afford the extra cost through reserves, rates and "rejigging" its capital budget.
The city expects to know within a few weeks which projects are selected. An additional opportunity to apply for recreation funding is expected soon.
Top 10 priorities
Hamilton is submitting nearly 150 funding requests. Here are the top 10 priorities:
1. Water treatment plant upgrades --$42 million
2. Extending Trinity Church Road -- $10.5 million
3. New emergency services training facility and operations centre -- $25 million
4. Renovations to First Place seniors' housing -- $5 million
5. Road repairs, Beach Boulevard -- $2.5 million
6. Road repairs, Concession Street -- $3.4 million
7. Road repairs, the Linc -- $5 million
8. Road repairs, King Street, Dundas -- $3.2 million
9. Road repairs, Gray Road -- $4.2 million
10. Road repairs, Mud Street -- $2 million