The City of Moose Jaw is making another application for funding from the same federal program that is aiding in the construction of the multiplex project.
However, this time the application is for repairing local roads.
During Monday's council meeting, council approved an administration recommendation to submit a Building Canada Fund (BCF) application for federal/provincial funding towards local pavement rehabilitation.
At a media conference at Temple Gardens Mineral Spa on May 2, Palliser MP Ray Boughen and Moose Jaw North MLA Warren Michelson announced the governments' commitment of more than $23.5 million. Of that amount, $15 million came from the BCF.
Ryan Johnson, city engineer, said funding for the multiplex project was approved under an earlier phase of BCF and the city can still make two applications for the next phase of projects to be considered for funding approval.
The city is already applying for funding to build a water supply line to the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant. On Monday, council approved another application to get money for the roadway rehabilitation project, which (if approved) would tend to approximately 100 city blocks of roadway - about eight per cent of Moose Jaw's entire transportation network.
The rehabilitation program would be set for 2010 and cost $3.4 million. Through the BCF, council hopes to split the project cost evenly between the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government, with each level paying $1.2 million of the cost.
Applications for BCF are due May 15. If the city doesn't receive rehabilitation funding, City Manager Garry McKay said the city would still conduct road rehabilitation. However, it would spend about a third as much as the city hopes to if the BCF application is approved.
Coun. Brian Swanson voted in favour of making the application. However, first he asked why the rehabilitation program for which the city would request funding is next year's, rather than this year's.
Johnson said the city already awarded a contract for this year's rehabilitation program and that means the project would not quality for BCF. The only person who didn't vote on the matter was Mayor Dale McBain, who was on holidays and absent from Monday's meeting.
Carter Haydu can be reached at 691-1265.
