Last night New Tecumseth Council announced its intent to proceed with its planned share of the Raymond A. Barker Water Treatment Plant Expansion project, and both Collingwood and New Tecumseth Councils agreed on mutually beneficial terms to share and seek to augment water capacity during construction.
The following agreed terms were shared after In-camera meetings yesterday, and Collingwood Council will proceed to a vote on accepting the low-bid Tender from Kenaiden Contracting Ltd. at their meeting on Monday, April 15th, just before the expiry of the deadline for the contract award.
That Council of the Town of New Tecumseth (NT) hereby indicate its agreement to the Town of Collingwood (TOC) to proceed forward with its 63% cost share of the expansion of the Raymond A. Barker Water Treatment Plant with the understanding that 250 m3 will be made available to the Town of New Tecumseth for immediate allocation with a further supply of 150 m3 of Collingwood’s remaining capacity within the next 12 calendar months – with both quantities being made available subject only to the technical capabilities of the Plant; and
Further That the Town of New Tecumseth and Town of Collingwood will participate in the discussion and allocation of an interim water solution after the review is completed by AECOM in October 2024 subject to proportional cost sharing and a minimum of 50% directed to the Town of New Tecumseth; and
Further That should the Town of New Tecumseth need an interim water solution, the Town of Collingwood commits to moving forward with this project; with Collingwood paying its proportionate share to which it agrees; and
Further That upon the commissioning of the anticipated NT wells optimization project, should excess cubes from the original New Tecumseth plan (3,137 m3) be found, there will be a return to Collingwood of 200 m3/day, unless Collingwood has access to 200m3/day or more of interim capacity over the current 31,140 m3/day,
Further that the Town of New Tecumseth and Town of Collingwood continue to actively pursue an expectation of Provincial or other level of government funding through infrastructure programs to assist with this partnership of capital investment.
The total project cost is in the range of $270M, which is about $150M higher than anticipated. Both Councils expect that the Provincial and Federal Governments will help through the significant infrastructure funding programs that they have announced.
This is an essential and urgent project for Collingwood, New Tecumseth, and the surrounding area. Without this plant expansion, we will not be able to build new homes to meet provincial housing targets or support job creation with commercial and industrial growth. This agreement will immediately unlock the servicing of new development in New Tecumseth, and Collingwood will continue with development that is aligned with community values and at a volume that is in line with the healthy pace in recent years. Further, A joint study to investigate and share additional interim capacity is expected to be completed in fall 2024.
Both Councils are appreciative of the input of our local developers, planning and engineering firms, who have provided essential insights into our municipalities' decisions.
As per our commitment to keep our communities updated with the latest information, we are sharing what we know so far.
For more information about the project, please visit https://engage.collingwood.ca/water-treatment-plant-expansion.
Mayor, Yvonne Hamlin Mayor, Richard Norcross
Town of Collingwood Town of New Tecumseth