Road repairs coming
By Chris Simon

Nearly $5.2 million in road repairs were approved by Innisfil council last week.

In total, funding for 21 projects was passed, as part of the town's 2008 Roads and Related Infrastructure capital budget. Construction for the South Innisfil Drain was given $3 million in funding, while Gilford's Everton Bridge project was granted $645,000. Line 2 between County Road 27 and the 5th Sideroad will receive about $190,200 in repairs, while Innisfil Beach Road will receive almost $167,000 for utility relocation projects.

Fairway Road's resurfacing will cost about $163,800, while St. Paul's Road will get about $160,200 in repairs.

Harbour Road will receive nearly $138,700 in repairs, while Cookstown library roadwork will get almost $103,000 in funding.

However, some councillors were upset by the plan. About $125,000 for Gilford's Beach Road has only been given conditional approval, pending the release of the town's overall operating budget.

"Why is it always Beach Road?" Said councillor Bill Van Berkel. "(Residents) were promised this road was going to go ahead. It needs to be done. You can't get from one side (of Gilford) to the other, and it's not right."

But Jackson says the Beach Road decision is necessary. The project may still be approved over the next few months, but councillors want to be cautious of their expenditures, in order to keep municipal taxes from rising significantly.

"On the gross capital budget, there's an overall (proposed) tax increase," he said, referring to the proposed overall 2008 Capital Budget, which includes the roads budget amongst other things. "We're trying to be precise here. We are looking at a (2.8 per cent) tax rate increase, and we need a tool to mitigate the overall increase."

The roads budget was passed before the overall 2008 capital and operating budgets in order to push road-related projects ahead. The overall capital and operating budgets are expected to be presented to council within the next few months.

"The (roads) capital budget's being presented to us now so our staff can go get hard, concrete contracts early in the year," said councillor Bill Pring. "If we're going to dither, it's going to be January and we're not going to get the same bang for our buck."

The roads projects are also part of a five-year $27.3 million Road and Related Infrastructure master plan. If adopted as planned, it would include over 90 reconstruction and urbanization improvement projects for roads, bridges, culverts, sidewalks and street lights throughout the town.

About $5 million would be spent in 2008, $8.2 million in 2009, $4.4 million in 2010, $6.4 million in 2011, and $3 million in 2012, under the plan.

Among the projects included in the master plan, Innisfil Beach Road would be the most expensive, with crews reconstructing the road between Lake Simcoe and the Canadian National railway tracks for about $17.4 million.

Over the next five years, Hamilton and William streets would receive $880,000 in construction.

Willard Avenue would be rebuilt for $830,000.

Abridge on the 9th Line would get $500,000, and the 4th Line between County Road 4 and the 20th Sideroad would receive $495,125, according to the master plan.

Here's a list of some of the funding allocated under Innisfil's 2008 Roads and Related Infrastructure capital budget:

• South Innisfil Drain - $3 million

• Everton Bridge project - $645,000

• Line 2 between County Road 27 and the 5th Sideroad - about $190,200

• Innisfil Beach Road utility relocation - about $167,000

• Fairway Road resurfacing - about $163,800 Source: Town of Innisfil