Mount Forest water tower to get $1.5-million makeover

Local Journalism Initiative
·2 min read

KENILWORTH — Wellington North council voted in favour of rehabilitating the Mount Forest water tower.

Dayson Industrial Services Inc. will be doing the work at a cost of $1,545,727.

“I think it’s a good news story to start with,” Coun. Sherry Burke said at a meeting earlier this week.

The township will be getting $826,796 to help pay for it from the federal and provincial governments through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, ICIP.

“We’re going to get some funding. So that is great. This project has been on the budget for a little bit,” Burke said.

Burke explained why she feels the project is so important.

“And I think that it is going to really spruce up the entrance to Mount Forest as the standpipe is starting to look a little rough,” Burke said.

Director of operations Matthew Aston said the work would start in May or June and take three months to complete.

"It’s a big project,” Aston said.

Corey Schmidt, manager, environmental and development services, explained that the money allocated for the project at this time will cover the full cost.

“The money should be there and ready to go,” Schmidt said.

He went on to explain why the project was more expensive than originally anticipated.

“We are just seeing the cost a little bit higher than what we anticipated. There is some other work that is going to take place, some safety upgrades as part of the project and this should give us another 30 plus years with the standpipe as part of our water system.

“So I think it’s a bit of a combination of the increased prices and some of the safety features that need to be completed at the same time and this is the time to do that,” Schmidt said.

Jesse Gault is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.

Jesse Gault, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, GuelphToday.com

Latest Stories

  • California's 'phantom lake' returns with a vengeance, unearthing a bitter history of water

    The 'phantom' Tulare Lake returns

  • India's warm weather plans can't take the heat, report says

    With temperatures set to soar next month, Indian authorities need more resources and better preparation to deal with searing heat particularly for the most vulnerable communities around the country, a New Delhi-based think tank said. Analyzing 37 regional and federal heat action plans, the Centre for Policy Research found this week that the plans are not updated regularly, don’t have separate budgets in most cases, have no legal support to implement them and the most vulnerable populations in any given region are not identified in the plans. Heat plans started springing up around the nation after blistering heat waves surpassing 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) in 2010 killed over 800 people in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad.

  • Human remains found by diver in Lake Mead identified as 1974 drowning victim

    Donald P. Smith of North Las Vegas was 39 when he was reported missing in the waters of the Colorado River reservoir behind Hoover Dam.

  • Blast of snow, soaking rain, and powerful winds to see out March in Ontario

    Active pattern continues through early April, as the Great Lakes region will be the battleground between colder than normal temperatures to the northwest and warm and humid air to the south. Get ready for rounds of stormy weather this week

  • Super mom: Great Dane from Virginia gives birth to 21 puppies in 27 hours

    It took a total of 27 hours for Namine, a Great Dane from Virginia, to finish bringing a total of 21 puppies into the world.

  • Tale of two seasons means Ontario sees stormy conclusion to March

    Final days of March in Ontario to feature a rapid change in weather, followed by a soggy and windy finale. Everything is on the table, so be sure to plan ahead

  • ‘Striking’ pair of carnivorous plants discovered on mountains in Ecuador

    One of the plants was found growing on the bare rock face, photos show.

  • Tiny horse roaming Outer Banks is first wild foal of 2023, experts say. Take a look

    Fewer than 100 feral horses live on Corolla, experts say.

  • Satellite Imagery Shows Another 'Powerful' Storm System Forming Off US West Coast

    Satellite imagery from March 27 and 28 shows a “powerful” storm system forming off the west coast of the United States, according to the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA).In an update, the National Weather Service (NWS) said: “A powerful Pacific storm system will approach the West Coast Monday night with anomalously high Pacific moisture quickly overspreading southern portions of the Pacific Northwest and California… bringing yet another round of heavy coastal/lower elevation rain and mountain snow.”Footage shared by CIRA shows a large storm swirling in a counter-clockwise motion off the west coast of the United States, before making landfall in northern California, Oregon, and southern Washington state. Credit: CIRA/NOAA via Storyful

  • Another powerful bomb cyclone storm on the way for California: Weather updates

    A storm system that was evolving into a bomb cyclone will bring flooding rain, powerful winds and heavy snow to much of California this week.

  • Twin Amur leopards, the world's most endangered big cat species, born at San Diego Zoo

    The Amur leopard twins' mother, Satka, gave birth to the cubs – the third set of Amur leopard twins to be born at the San Diego Zoo.

  • California farmers flood fields to boost groundwater basin

    A field that has long grown tomatoes, peppers and onions now looks like a wind-whipped ocean as farmer Don Cameron seeks to capture the runoff from a freakishly wet year in California to replenish the groundwater basin that is his only source to water his crops. Taking some tomatoes out of production for a year is an easy choice if it means boosting future water supplies for his farm about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Fresno. He’s pumping 300 acre-feet a day — enough to supply hundreds

  • More rain and snow for Fresno and other flooded areas. Is the rainy season over yet?

    It’s another atmospheric river, meteorologists say.

  • Sharks or humans? Thailand's conservation puzzle

    STORY: For nearly four years, Thailand's famous Maya Bay had no tourists.In 2018 authorities shut it off to mitigate against excessive tourismand then the global health crisis kept people away even longer. The solitude made way for new visitors.Blacktip Reef Sharks.They reclaimed the shallow waters, at the same time, marine life thrived and damaged coral was revived.But in January 2022, tourists flooded back with Thailand's tourism industry eager to make up for lost time and money. The area is now facing a tough balancing act between humans and sharks. Conservationists from 'Maya Shark Watch' have been studying the population of blacktip sharks. Using underwater cameras and drones to count sharks in feeding areas and breeding grounds."We have counted the highest amount of blacktip reef sharks, which is 161 sharks at a given time, and that is in November 2021. And after it was reopened for a year, in November 2022, we have come back to try and use the same drone technique to count the number of sharks, and we have an average number of around 20 to 40 sharks per day. So, we have seen a decrease in the abundance."Project Manager Metavee Chuangcharoendee says the shallow waters of Maya Bay act as a crucial nursery for young sharks to protect them from falling prey to adult sharks.'Blacktip reef shark is important for the ecosystem because it helps maintain the balance of the coral reef ecosystem. Blacktop reef shark is a top predator, so they eat other sick and unwell animals and keep the population healthy as well as control the population of other animals.'When Maya Bay closed, the beach lost almost halved its revenue in 2019.The 2022 reopening came after pressure from tour operatorsbut conservationists got their say too.Tourists now aren't allowed to swim so they don't disturb the baby sharks.Boats that bring visitors have to dock on the other side of the island to avoid damaging coral reefs.And Only 375 visitors are allowed in an hour although that does already add up to nearly 4,000 people each day with more expected in the future.'We are hoping that with the restriction in place, we can mitigate the disturbance on them. And we are doing this research in (the) hope that we can find the best way to manage and the best way for tourism and the environment to coexist.'

  • Police rescue dog from river

    TCSO Deputy Saves Dog Stuck in Tule River as They Deliver Blankets, and Supplies to Homeless Before the Rain Around 2 p.m. today, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office HEART Unit went to the homeless encampments along the Tule River to inform them about the flooding and incoming rain this week. They offered resource referrals and shelter locations and handed out blankets. While at an encampment, deputies heard a dog yelping. They walked over to the river and noticed a dog had fallen in. TCSO Corporal Florence Cotton rescued the dog and brought it to shore. The dog was not hurt and was given back to the owner. Thank you, Corporal Cotton! Video credit Tulare County Sheriff's Office

  • Farmer frustrated about missing climate action in Sask. budget

    The words "climate change" show up once in Saskatchewan's latest budget document, but only in the context of how budget pressure will be driven by — among other things — federal climate change policy. The Saskatchewan government is projecting a $1-billion surplus for 2023-24, opting to use that money to pay down debt and touting an increase to health care and education spending, but a Saskatoon climate activist and farmer says he is frustrated with the lack of money earmarked to fight climate ch

  • It’s a bad year for California salmon. Here’s how it hurts the economy and environment

    Salmon provides more to the state than meets the eye.

  • Vancouver authorities investigate 2 suspicious fires from over the weekend as blazes mount

    Arson investigators in Vancouver are looking into two suspicious fires from over the weekend, one at the Chinese Cultural Centre and another not far away on East Hastings Street. Meanwhile, firefighters say they are responding to an increasing number of fires this year, with many of them in Vancouver's poorest neighbourhood, the Downtown Eastside. "This is very, very concerning to us and very concerning to the neighbourhood … we're going to do whatever we can to solve this case. It will start wi

  • Planning a trip to Giant Sequoias, wildflowers? Here’s when damaged park roads will open

    There have been about a dozen road failures each on Highways 180, 198 and 245.

  • Chairman says Gazprom close to maximum gas supply to China

    BO'AO, China (AP) — Russia's Gazprom is increasing gas supplies to China and expects soon to reach the maximum planned level through a Siberian pipeline, its chairman said Wednesday, highlighting Beijing's importance as his country's top export market in the face of Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Gazprom is negotiating with China over a possible additional supply project across neighboring Mongolia, Viktor Zubkov said at a government-organized economic forum.