Another capital works funding application from Baie Verte rejected by province

BAIE VERTE, NL — Disappointment continues to mount as the Town of Baie Verte was yet again rejected for capital works funding.

There’s a new mayor at the council table for the White Bay town, but a similar sentiment respecting the town’s poor track record for securing provincial funding to tackle some much-needed capital works projects.

Mayor Brandon Philpott echoed recent comments of outgoing mayor Clar Brown about the dismal outlook for provincial investment in the town. Council recently tabled a rejection letter from the province on its most recent request. Philpott said council had even downsized its request in hopes of securing some funding, but to no avail.

“It’s disappointing, knowing you put the time into these applications and that the work is so desperately needed,” he said.

Rattling Brook Terrace is in desperate need of a major overall, including replacement of water and sewer infrastructure, according to the mayor. Like many roads and infrastructure in Baie Verte, it was put there 40 or 50 years ago, with little to no upgrades since, he said. This project is estimated at about $1.4 million.

The town also needs a water and sewer treatment facility for the Southshore Drive area. That project is estimated at about $800,000.

Looking for some optimism within the situation, Philpott said there were no problems with the application from the town that led to the rejection.

“I think it is more they ran out of funding,” he said. “I don’t think we would even have to change our application because it essentially came back as insufficient funding. I guess there is only so much to go around.”

The deadline for new capital works funding proposals is the end of November. Council will review its capital works requirements, and decide how to approach its next request.