City of Penticton hopes to secure federal funding

PENTICTON – Green energy and water projects topped Penticton city council’s list of preferred projects for submission to a new round of New Building Canada funding.

Penticton city staff and council discussed a number of possible projects for submission to the New Building Canada Fund, which recently opened a second intake of applications.

The city was unsuccessful in winning any of the $128 million in funding during the first round, which was distributed to 55 communities throughout the province. Penticton General Manager of Infrastructure Mitch Moroziuk told council the city’s previous application for funding of Main Street upgrades was not a use given much consideration by fund managers.

Council chose three possible projects, including agricultural irrigation meter installation at a cost of $1.4 million, an on-site chlorine generation system for the city’s drinking water at a cost of $1.35 million, and the Carmi reservoir fire storage, at a cost of $1.58 million, as projects most likely to be successful in attracting a federal grant.

Staff was asked by council for more information on two other possible options, which include brownfields redevelopment and a green energy project involving recovery of energy from collected kitchen waste.

Some of the projects will require a risk assessment in order to qualify.

Other projects, selected by staff for council consideration, such as further Main Street upgrades and Penticton Creek restoration, were thought to be less likely to catch the attention of New Building Canada Fund managers, Moroziuk suggested.

The deadline for the second intake of applications is April 28, 2016. A report that is more focused on council’s selections for the application will be readied for council’s scrutiny in January 2016.

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