Beaver Staff
A trio of Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program funded projects announced on Wednesday will help to revitalize recreation centres in Tamworth and Deseronto, as well as provide an upgrade to Deseronto Transit.
The three local projects were among seven were part of $6.4 million infrastructures in Hastings-Lennox and Addington that will be funded from the federal, provincial and municipal level.
Two projects in the Town of Deseronto will address the needs of two user groups. The Deseronto Community Centre will replace an aging roof, add a new HVAC system, and create a multi-use outdoor sports pad at a cost of $673,050.
Deseronto Transit users will see a major needed upgrade to their popular inter-municipal transit system. ICIP funding will cover the costs of two accessible transit buses and one specialized accessible transit van, new bus shelters and other safety improvements for a combined $385,327.
In Lennox and Addington County, the Township of Stone Mills will make a number of major improvements to the Stone Mills Recreation Centre with $1 million in ICIP funding. New refrigeration piping will be embedded in a brand-new arena floor, the rink boards will be replaced, and there will be alterations to the ice resurfacer entrance.
“We have listened and patiently advocated for these three-partner projects since the province quickly approved and recommended the municipal and not-for-profit community group applications, some as long as two years ago,” said Hastings-Lennox and Addington MPP Daryl Kramp in a release. “We are pleased that all levels of government are now on board and work will soon commence across our two counties of Hastings and Lennox and Addington for these much-needed projects.”
In Centre Hastings, the Moira Lake Trail Bridge south of Madoc, a former railway trestle that is currently unusable, will be entirely replaced with a new bridge, restoring access to the trail for its more than 5,500 users at a cost of $994,749.
The 550-km Hastings Heritage Trail network managed by the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance had a project approved to repair 21 smaller bridge structures and repair various sections through grading and resurfacing. Price tag: $3,105,001
The Municipality of Marmora and Lake will see improvements to the much-used Legion Park softball diamond — Price tag: $40,142, and the Kiwanis Club of Tweed will rehabilitate the Tweed Kiwanis Memorial Park to make it more accessible for all users. Price tag: $423,952
The joint funding — $2.6 million from federal government, $2.2 million from the province through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure and the Public Transit Infrastructure streams, and $1.6 million from the applicants — was announced Wednesday by Catherine McKenna, federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; local MPP Kramp, and David Gerow, chair of the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance.