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| Feds help fix-up Oshawa |
| September 16, 2009 |
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| Oshawa MP Colin Carrie, Federal Minister Gary Goodyear and Mayor John Gray discuss four new projects that will be taking place across Oshawa. The federal government committed more than $3 million for the projects. |
By Lindsey Cole The Oshawa Express It’s about bettering the city in a time of economic turmoil. With planes lined up behind the podium at the Oshawa Municipal Airport and an audience of politicians, and prominent community figures, Oshawa MP Colin Carrie, along with Mayor John Gray shared in the enthusiasm when they announced more than $3.5 million in federal funding for four separate projects across the city. They were joined by Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) Gary Goodyear for the announcement, as he is in charge of delivering federal economic development programs tailored to the specific needs of workers, businesses and communities in Southern Ontario. In particular, the money will go towards improving the Oshawa Municipal Airport, sidewalk rehabilitation, revitalizing the downtown streetscape with street lighting and parking improvements and remediating the downtown brownfield site. “The impact of this recession has been hard and has tested the resilience of these communities,” says Minister Goodyear.“We recognize these challenges. These programs will help build. This recession is not over.” The Oshawa airport will receive $1.07 million from the federal government, which is half of the $2.14 million project cost. The rest will be covered by the city. It will receive a number of upgrades from installing an automated weather system to the construction of a new west lot service road. The completion date is slated for March 31, 2010. The second project that is also expected to be completed by March pertains to sidewalk rehabilitation. Sidewalks will be replaced in various locations across the city, as there have been numerous complaints about the condition of sidewalks and how they are deteriorating. The estimated cost of the project is $560,000 with $280,000 coming from the federal government. Street lighting, parking improvements and a general downtown facelift is also in the cards, as the third project listed. Mary Street, Richm ond Street East and West, and Metcalfe will get new a new look as well as new lighting. The project also involves a transition from individual parking space metering to ‘Pay n’Display’ technology throughout the downtown core. The cost of the project is $3.5 million with up to $1.9 million coming from the federal government. The last project that was announced is the remediation of the downtown brownfield site. The two acre city-owned land is at 100 Bond Street East and is a prominent location in downtown Oshawa as it is adjacent to the new Durham Consolidated Courthouse. |
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| The development of this site could provide complimentary office and commercial space, the city states in a release. It was contaminated by former industrial activities and does need cleaning up, which is where most of the money will go. This project is supposed to be completed by January 31, 2010 and costs $530,000. More than $200,000 will come from the federal government. All of the federal funding for these projects was set aside under the Community Adjustment Fund, which was outlined in Canada’s Economic Action Plan that was passed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government earlier this year. The hope behind these initiatives is to stimulate the economy and better Oshawa as a whole, says MP Carrie. “This can help foster a short term boost,” he says.“It’s fantastic. This will help create jobs.” Councillors Joe Kolodzie, John Henry, Tito-Dante Marimpietri, Louise Parkes and Robert Lutczyk were on hand to show their support for the projects, which they say has a lot to do with staff, and councillors working together with federal agencies to get the ball rolling.“These are extraordinary times,” says Councillor Marimpietri, adding that his trip to Ottawa earlier this year may have helped spur these projects into action now. “The end justified the means. In the end we got results. It’s about getting it done.” |
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©2008 Dowellman Publishing Corp, All Rights Reserved
©2008 Dowellman Publishing Corp, All Rights Reserved
