CAO Tim Mills and WPS Environmental Consultant Jennifer Hawn-Brown, presented a report to Council regarding the current capacity and lifespan of the Matilda Waste Disposal Site (WDS). A Topographic Survey is completed annually to calculate the approximate fill rate, estimated remaining capacity and lifespan. A survey was completed of the landfill in July 2023, which confirmed the remaining lifespan of the site is 2.2 years.
“It’s certainly disheartening to know…we thought we have 7.7 years left, and in a short period of time we’re down to less than 2 years left” said Mayor Broad. “So obviously it’s putting some pressure on us to come up with a plan, but we need to have a plan moving forward”.
Environmental Consultant Hawn-Brown explained that to assist with increasing the lifespan of the site, frequent compaction of the waste material within the filling area is recommended. Additionally, the removal of daily and interim cover prior to landfilling and compacting the waste mound would assist with increasing the life expectancy of the site.
“We knew this day was going to come… and unfortunately its coming sooner than later” said CAO Mills. He explained that staff are investigating waste disposal options that would help extend the lifespan of the Matilda WDS beyond the remaining 2.2 years. Staff are considering the utilization of a private landfill, such as GFL in Moose Creek or Waste Management in Brockville, to dispose of all curbside residential waste. By eliminating curbside waste going to landfill, the volume of waste going to the Matilda WDS would decrease significantly. Staff are also investigating the impact of Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (IC&I ) on the landfill and if eliminating it would help increase life expectancy of the landfill.
“Certainly, as we lead into the 2024 budget session… this will be a focus point for Council and staff… for 2025 and beyond. We don’t have a plan on paper yet…” said Mayor Broad. “We need to uncover every rock in this scenario and calculate every cost to the best of our ability, to get the full picture.”
The Council team and staff are planning a future Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss the opportunities and challenges in greater detail.
Plaza Building Condition Assessment and Capital Review
Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities David Jansen, presented a detailed Building Condition Assessment and Capital Review for the Morrisburg and Iroquois Plazas, respectively. On May 8th, by notice of motion Deputy Mayor St. Pierre requested that staff review the inventory of assets at the Iroquois and Morrisburg Plaza owned and maintained by the Municipality. Senior Staff have worked on completing a review of assets owned by the Municipality at both Plazas.
“This report is from the entire senior staff team… This is very much planning document and a great tool to use in future planning. This document will help staff plan and give a full outlook on what kind of repairs and maintenance are upcoming” explained Director Jansen.
The report also included details on operational costs that are required for both Plazas. Jansen stated that “Staff wouldn’t be doing their due diligence if we didn’t include operational costs as part of the discussion.” He explained that $150,000 is allocated in the budget for both Plazas to cover the costs of owning the assets. That includes the cost of snow removal, liability, staff time, non-capital repairs, grass cutting and other minor expenses. “
The information summarized in the Building Condition Assessment (BCA) Report and Capital Study include information on capital replacement of the Canopy Structure, Sidewalks, Electrical and Mechanical Systems, Surface Infrastructure, Underground Infrastructure and Signage.
“We knew we needed to look at the whole picture…above ground and under ground…this Council is going to have a lot of planning to do in many areas…” said Mayor Broad. “There are probably only 4 malls in all of Ontario (Iroquois, Morrisburg, Long Sault and Ingleside) that are in the situation we are in. These malls were built as a result of the Seaway construction, and the municipalities took ownership of the malls.” The Council team expressed interest in receiving a full history of the inheritance of the malls, from staff.
Many of the key infrastructure components at the Morrisburg Plaza are reaching the end of their life cycle and are due for replacement. The review only included a desktop and some visual inspections. In many areas an in-depth review and study, or redesign of the existing assets may be required. The values provided are approximation and lifespan may be extended with regular maintenance and decreased with poor maintenance.
Based on the review of the assets at the Plaza, the total replacement cost of all assets at each Plaza is estimated to be approximately $5,250,000. In the short term however, capital projects are estimated at 1.8M for the Iroquois Plaza over the next 5 years and 3.2M for the Morrisburg Plaza.
Based on the asset values and expected lifespans, annually. The Municipality should be saving for capital replacement costs approximately $98,000 for the Iroquois Plaza and $101,000 for the Morrisburg Plaza, in addition to the $150,000 spent annually on regular expenses.
South Dundas Emergency Services Update
Council awarded the supply and delivery of Fire Master Plan and Community Risk Assessment to Gervais Emergency Consulting at a cost of $53,000 plus HST.
Council agrees to renew the Agreement with Brockville Fire Dispatch for Fire Dispatching Services from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026,
An RFP process has concluded for the purchasing of the new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for delivery to South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services in 2024. Council agreed to defer the report until budget deliberations over the next month.
Municipality to Enter Agreement with GrantMatch
GrantMatch will develop and manage a proactive Government Funding application process which includes grant identification, funding program matching, grant strategy development, funding application development and writing, and compliance reporting support. Government Funding is defined as, but is not limited to: government grants, non-repayable contributions, tax incentives, and tax credits.
GrantMatch can help secure funding in the following categories: Environmental, Infrastructure, Asset Management, Rural Communities, Recreation and Community Culture. These grant programs help fund a range of projects such as expansions, innovations, hiring initiatives, equipment purchases and more.
The utilization of GrantMatch provides an opportunity to support our work efforts, and secure strong grant writing skills. GrantMatch provides specialized knowledge in knowing the federal and provincial grant opportunities and the pairing of grants, where possible, to maximize funding opportunities.
GrantMatch services do not have any upfront costs, as the cost of service is directly linked to the successful award from a grant application. The benefit being the minimization of tax dollars/reserves needed to fund capital projects.
Upcoming Meetings
Regular Council Meeting: Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
2024 Budget Meetings: Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m.; Monday, Jan. 15, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
