While the 2009 budget already is looking to be a challenge for town council and administration, the rest of the year will be a busy one with a range of new projects to start and ongoing ones to be completed.
“One of our biggest challenges and priorities is to make sure we get a good budget—that’s our biggest one in the new year, especially with the decrease in assessment of our commercial and industrial properties,” Mayor Roy Avis said Monday.

“It’s creating quite a problem because it has a direct impact on the residents.”
At this point, Mayor Avis said he wouldn’t want to speculate on any potential tax increases that may come out of the 2009 budget.
“We’re just getting into the meat and potatoes of the budget in the next couple weeks, and it’s going to define a good direction for us,” he remarked.
“Administration has looked at it and I think they’ve got a good feel from council as to where council wants to be, and they’re working diligently to try and accomplish some of council’s wishes.”
The mayor added council so far only has looked at the operating forecast for 2009, and not the capital budget, which includes construction projects and equipment purchases, among other things.
“I think when we get into the capital side, we might find that with the number of projects we’ve got on, we might have to take on a little bit of long-term debt,” he conceded. “But I don’t mind seeing the municipality taking on a little long-term debt for a project that is a worthwhile project, like sewer and water, or anything to do with providing essential services to the community.
“If need be, we’ll have to take a look at that,” he stressed.
On the construction side of things, Mayor Avis said a major priority in the year ahead is to see the completion of the Portage Avenue underpass. While the project has seen its share of setbacks over the past two years, he was hopeful it will be fully reconstructed by early summer.
A major road project on the to-do list will include the reconstruction of portions of Portage and Victoria Avenues and Nelson Street in the vicinity of the new biomass boiler—a job the town already has received funding to complete.
“That’s going to redefine the truck route because we’re going to be widening a certain part of the road to accept truck traffic,” said Mayor Avis, adding this reconstruction will include not only surface work but the replacement of water and sewer infrastructure.
The town also has applied for provincial “Connecting Link” funding to reconstruct Scott Street from Reid Avenue to Colonization Road East. If this money comes through, that stretch of road will be rebuilt, and the water and sewer pipes replaced.
This would a two-year project, with part of it done this year and a second phase in 2010.
Mayor Avis noted much of the sewer and water infrastructure in town is very old, some of it dating back 100 years, and so infrastructure replacement has been a key part of any major road project done in recent years.
“There’s no use fixing on top if you don’t fix down below,” he reasoned. “This council has taken a really good look at that and said, ‘Let’s make sure that infrastructure underneath that road surface is in good shape.’
“That’s why we’re working slower and it’s costing more money—because we’re making sure as we move along that you don’t pave a road one year and a year later you’re ripping it up because there’s a problem with the sewer and water.
“We’re going through and doing it all—the subsurface first and then the surface,” he explained.
Another project Mayor Avis would like to see come to fruition is the new Fort Frances Public Library and Technology Centre.
He said the library board is getting ready to put out a request for proposal (RFP) this month for the multi-million dollar building, and will get back up-to-date figures as to exactly how much it will cost to build.
“We see it as a priority. The library has got most of its funding in place, as per the estimates that were given earlier,” the mayor noted.
“They’ve made modifications in the floor plan, there’s been cuts made to the project,” he added. “I would like to see them move forward with it, but it all depends on the budget.”
Yet another project set to get underway here is Phase Two of the Heritage Tourism Plan, which will include further development of the riverfront as a tourist location, including the relocation of the Hallett and lookout tower.
“We’ve got a busy year planned,” Mayor Avis remarked as he listed off projects.
The mayor also noted that negotiations with area First Nations, the province, and the federal government regarding Pithers’ Point are ongoing, with the current lease to expire at the end of May.
While it’s too early to know what will happen, the mayor said he would like to see it remain as a park.
Looking back briefly to last year, Mayor Avis said the treasurer’s books are showing the town ended the year in line with the 2008 budget.
He also was glad to see the water tower refurbished. While it may have caused some inconvenience, it was something that had to be done and now won’t have to be done again anytime soon.
As well, the mayor admitted the reconstruction of Central Avenue did have a few snags and took a little longer than he would have liked, but like the reconstruction projects slated for this year, it was a job that had to get done.
Town council and administration also completed its strategic plan late last year, identifying what the current council wants to accomplish in the next couple of years.
And while not a municipal project, Mayor Avis said he was happy to see construction on the aboriginal youth justice facility in the north end get underway and remain on track to open this spring.