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HomeMy WebLinkAbout75-134REPORT N0, 134 REPORT ON REGIONAL CAPITAL WORKS BUDGET 1. INTRODUCTION: On April 179 1975, The Regional Municipality of Durham Works Department released its 1975 Capital Budget and Forecast to 1979. Copies of the proposed projects located in or affecting the Town of Newcastle are enclosed with this report. The Regional Works Committee asked for comments from the Planning and Development Committee. Regional Planning Department staff prepared Commissi- oner's Report No. 446 which is also attached hereto. This report recommended that all projects for the servicing of the Courtice area be removed from the five year capital works program and that projects in Oshawa which would lead up to the servicing of Cour- tice be deferred to 1978. The report also recommended deferring the start of construction of the new sewage treatment plant for Bowmanville for one more year. Commissioners Report No. 446 was prepared without any liaison with local planning staff. Commissioner's Report No. 446 has been adopted by the Regional Planning and Development Committee and has been referred back to the Works Committee which must now decide whether or not to make the recommended alterations in its capital budget. Mayor Rickard requested that this subject be placed on the agenda of the Planning Advisory Committee, and in order to assist the Committee in its consideration of the proposed capital works budget we have reviewed each project and made comments on the work proposed in each of the four existing or proposed service areas in - 2 - the Town of Newcastle. Rather than comment on each project indiv- idually, we have summarized our comments by service area. It should be noted that the date shown in the capital works budget is the year in which each project would begin. In most cases the process of final design, property acquisition, and construction will lead to a completion date 2 to 3 years after the date specified in the budget. 2. ORONO: We see no problems with the proposed program for Orono. 3. NEWCASTLE VILLAGE: We see no problems with the proposed program for Newcastle Village. 4, BOWMANVILLE: Commissioner's Report No. 446 recommends postponment of the project from 1975 to 19769 except for land acquisition. Totten, Sims, Hubicki have done a preliminary pre -engineering study for this project and produced two alternatives. One was the expansion of the existing plant and the other was relocation to another site on the south side of Highway 401. The expansion of the existing plant has the advantage of being $780,000 cheaper, but there could be odour problems and the expansion could interfere with plans for the widening of Highway 401. The consultants advise that due to the location of the proposed new facilities on the site, the odour problems would. not become any worse than it presently is. The plans for the proposed expansion are presently with the Ministry of - 3 - Transportation and Communications for an opinion as to whether it could interfere with M.C. plans. We do not wish to preclude the choice of an alternative site, but the decision on location should be made quickly and an amount should be included in the budget now based on the most economical alternative so that construction can start soon after the deci- sion on location is made. This project has been postponed one year already and there will be at least a two year lag between approval of financing and completion. In any case if an amount for land acquisition is included in the 1975 budget, then the fundamental decision regarding location will be made in 1975, and there is no reason then to delay final design and the start of construction. We also feel that the Mearns Avenue and Soper Creek trunk sewers should be advanced to co-incide with completion of the plant so that we can begin to utilize immediately the extra capacity provided. 5 COURTICE: The Regional Planning staff have recommended that all projects for the servicing of the Courtice Area be removed from the 5 year capital works budget and that projects in Oshawa which would lead to the servicing of Courtice be deferred to 1978. Basically this means that there would be no development in Courtice until at least 1980. Under ideal circumstances the proper sequence of events would be that Regional Planning is followed by local planning and local planning is followed by the design and construction of necessary - 4 - services. However, the new regional government system inherited from its predecessors both a. housing shortage, spiralling costs and collection of municipal servicing systems which were in every case operating near, at or over their planned capacities. It was recognized and stressed by the Commissioner of Planning and Dev- elopment to our P.A.C. that in these circumstances the three operations of Regional Planning, Local Planning and Engineering would have to be telescoped in one process. With respect to Courtice, this message seems to have been lost on the Regional Planning authorities. We have done our utmost to co-operate with the Region in our planning for Courtice by including representatives of the Regional Planning Department and the Regional Works Department on the steering committee guiding the project. Approximately the same area as is contained in the Courtice Concept was proposed for servicing in the Official Plan of the former Township of Darlington approved by the Minister in 1960. This area has been waiting for services for 15 years, and the logic for developing it has only increased since that time. The area also has existing pollution problems. The Interim Planning Policies approved by the Planning and Development Committee provided for urban development in Phase 1 of the Courtice Concept up to 7,500 persons during the two years in which the Interim Planning Policies were to be in effect. This is the same area from which the Committee now recommend withholding services for at least five years. - 5 - Commissioner's Report No. 446 does not state any reasons for cancelling the services in Courtice9 but we are advised that this was done because the Town of Newcastle does not have an approved secondary Plan for this area. Dde note that projects to service the Northeast Oshawa area and the Town of Ajax north of Hwy. 401 have not been treated similarly. These lands have both been scheduled for servicing although they as yet do not have secondary plans. In any case the Town of Newcastle has given approval in principle to the concept and requested implementation of Phase 1 thereof. The Regional Works Department have co-operated in this by including the servicing of this area in their five year budget. Design work by consultants has proceeded to the point where loca- tions and pipe sizes have been recommended for the trunk water and sewer mains. Modifications to the Courtice Concept are currently under consideration and discussion to take into account the input we have received from local residents. However, none of the changes which have been suggested will have any effect on the trunk services most of which follow existing roads or easements which are deter- mined by topographic and environmental factors. Possible modif- ications to the plan at the Town level need not introduce any delays into the servicing schedule. Late in February the Town asked the Regional Planning and Development Committee to give approval in principle to its concept. The Committee did not do this but it did instruct planning staff - 6 - to prepare a report on the concept. This has not been done and we have had no response since February from staff or the Committee until last week they recommended without reasons or consultation the cancelling of the services scheduled for Courtice. I think that the Town of Newcastle has a right to be angry over such treat- ment. Unless the Regional Planning Committee are prepared to make a decision and state substantial reasons why Courtice should not begin to develop in the next five years, then I think that the pro- jects which have been recommended for deletion should be retained in the capital works program. 6. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, I would recommend: (a) that Council re -affirm its intention to proceed with planned development in the Courtice Area and request that the projects intended to serve that area be retained in the Capital Works Program. (b) that Council request that no postponment be made in the expan- sion of the sewage treatment capacity of Bownn nville. (c) that Council request that the Mearns Avenue and Soper Creek trunk sewers be scheduled for completion at the same date as new sewage treatment facilities. Respectfully submitted, �"'Orge F. Howden, Planning Director.