DEER LAKE — Deer Lake council has a budget shortfall to the tune of $51,000 and is looking to additional provincial funding sources to complete improvements on Wight’s Road.
The $230,000 project involves replacing pavement and cement structures like sidewalks and curbs, as well as underground infrastructure. It’s similar to the project, now being completed, in the neighbourhood of Colbourne and Birch.
It’s that subterranean infrastructure that may have pushed the budget skyward. The waterline had to be rerouted, and a few other connections needed more attention, creating the shortfall.
The project is cost-shared between the federal government, the province and at the Town of Deer Lake. The project needs to be completed by next year or a portion of the funding from the province will be lost. Council will make an application for extra funding to the provincial government in the next few days and hope to hear as soon as possible, according to Coun. Elmo Bingle, who is the chairman of the Public Works committee.
“Right now the support that we have, it looks like this will go through, so hopefully that will happen,” he said. “We need to get that project moving.”
Whether the province could come back with a grant agreement, or insist upon a loan, Bingle said the town would deal with either situation. He said, the project, which has been ongoing for at least two years, needs to be completed.
