Town looks at contracting out water services

Erin is inviting companies to submit proposals to take over operation of the town’s drinking water systems, even though town council has not made a decision to proceed with such a change.

“This will answer once and for all – do we do it the most economical way?” said Mayor Al Alls. “I thought it was a good idea.”

CAO Nathan Hyde took the initiative in consultation with the mayor, but did not bring the matter before town council. There is no cost to the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and no commitment to actually contract out the functions of the water department.

Bidders must submit proposals by Feb. 28, with a full public report to be provided for town council in April. If council accepts a proposal, the transition could start immediately.

 “It is an opportunity for council to review all options for operating the water systems in an efficient and effective manner, so that rate payers are satisfied that they are getting value for the services being provided,” says an information sheet published with the RFP at erin.ca.

“Council and the public have previously raised questions relating to the cost of water services, and it is staff’s job to ensure that we are delivering these services at an optimum price, while planning for future infrastructure replacement costs.”

The RFP will help the town decide whether to keep the water system in-house or negotiate an external partnership. The water infrastructure would continue to be publicly owned.

The mayor said that an external provider could potentially be involved in providing or securing funding for water infrastructure, and could be considered for management of the wastewater system once it is built.

 “Cost is an important factor in this competition but it will not be the sole determining factor,” says the RFP.

In 2015, council set the water rate at $3.99 per cubic metre, for a five-year period. This was a reduction from the previous rate of $4.29, but it is still considered high, the result of five earlier years of 20 per cent annual increases (2009-2013).

The Town of Erin has four main wells, 33 km of watermain, 194 fire hydrants and 1,300 services, plus a water tower and other reservoirs. There are two main drinking water systems serving Erin village and part of Hillsburgh, plus small systems for the Municipal Office, Ballinafad Hall, Barbour Field and the Hillsburgh Fire Hall.

An outside company would have to provide 24/7 operational coverage, including full compliance with government regulations, emergency response, water meter and valve inspections, and all equipment repairs and maintenance. The RFP proposes a five-year contract. The company would become the project manager for capital projects.

Information from the 2018 budget process shows the annual operating expenditures of the water department at $1.5 million, with capital projects this year expected to cost $123,000. Reserves total about $2.2 million, intended for upkeep of the system. The department is funded by the actual water users in Hillsburgh and Erin village.

The town is currently conducting an Environmental Assessment, attempting to find suitable locations for new wells that would back up existing sources and provide support for new growth.

Skeptical crowd reviews wastewater plan

Many Erin residents are not convinced that a wastewater system costing $118 million is the best course of action for the town, and they vented their doubts loudly at a public meeting on Feb. 2.

There was a presentation by Ainley Group, the consultants hired to complete the final phases of an Environmental Assessment (EA). The current plan estimates a cost of $50-$60 million to service the existing 4,500 residents in Hillsburgh and Erin village. The balance would be paid by developers as the urban population increases by about 10,000 over 20-30 years.

Limits on the town’s debt capacity mean the project would only be feasible with substantial senior government funding. One resident noted that if the town uses up most of its debt capacity for wastewater, it would not be available to support other important infrastructure projects.

Another received applause after suggesting there be a referendum on whether to proceed with sewers. Several also expressed doubt about the chances of the project being completed on budget.

Some residents are satisfied with the current set-up of private septic systems, saying that problems with aging systems do not constitute an emergency.

“Why should we be excited about spending all this money when we’ve got what we need in our back yard?” said one speaker. “Just leave us alone.”

Another said many people moved to Erin for the low housing density, and that a sewer system would allow developers such as Solmar to “get rich” building denser neighbourhoods.

“We’re going to spend 50 to 60 million so Solmar can build houses and destroy our community?” he said.

One resident reminded the crowd that the reason residential tax bills are so high is the lack of a substantial commercial and industrial tax base. Wastewater service could help correct that imbalance.

Some were concerned about impact on the West Credit River, but were told that the effluent would be treated to such a high level that the discharge would be well within Ministry of the Environment limits. No storm water will be allowed in the sanitary sewers, eliminating the possibility of waste bypassing the treatment plant during a storm.

Ainley President Joe Mullan said the preferred option of a traditional gravity sewer system would provide the “lowest operating cost in the long term”.

He said if the projected cost per household of $20,000-$25,000 (based on full build-out) is offset by two-thirds grant funding, homeowners would pay $6,700-$8,300. This could be spread over many years as a low-interest loan.

In addition, they would have to pay for the connection from their houses to the road, now estimated at an average of $6,000. Hook-up would be mandatory in serviced areas, though it could be delayed.

There would also be ongoing wastewater bills, similar to water bills, averaging $400-$500 annually. Mullan noted that provision of sewers normally causes property values to rise.

Full details of the Ainley presentation can be downloaded from the wastewater section of the town website, erin.ca.

Mayor Al Alls had previously voiced his personal opinion that all taxpayers, including rural residents who would never hook up to sewage treatment, should pay a share of system construction. They are already helping pay for the EA process. In a recent interview, however, Alls conceded that urban residents would pay construction costs (offset by government grants and developers’ contributions).

He reminded residents that all members of the current town council were elected in 2014 after promising to support moderate growth, with wastewater as a key element. The next municipal election is Oct. 22 this year.

“We need sewage capacity,” he said. “The status quo can only lead to further decline.”

He read an appeal from public school trustee Kathryn Cooper, who urged residents to support wastewater service as a means of increasing the number of families with school-age children. A meeting about declining enrolment and potential school closures will be held Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Erin Public School gym.

The EA remains in a public consultation stage, and comments are invited before the end of February. After that, Ainley will work with the town and the Public Liaison Committee to prepare an Environmental Study Report, which will be subject to an official 30-day public review period.

If accepted by council, the EA could be complete by late spring, though the results could be appealed to the Minister of the Environment with “Part II Order” requests. The completed EA is needed to apply for federal and provincial funding.

Comments can be sent to Project Coordinator Christine Furlong of Triton Engineering, cfurlong@triton.on.ca; or to Ainley President Joe Mullan, erin.urban.classea@ainleygroup.com.

Station Street project gets green light

The Town of Erin has received approval to reconstruct the Station Street bridge, rehabilitate the dam and preserve the Hillsburgh millpond.

Chris Ballard, Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, announced the decision on Feb. 2, more than a year after the project was put on hold. Credit Valley Conservation and several residents had appealed the results of an Environmental Assessment, claiming the town followed a “flawed process”.

Wellington County owns the water control structure in the 

Hillsburgh millpond dam, while the Town of Erin owns the 

earthen berm that supports Station Street.

The minister dismissed all of the objections, but did order the town to monitor and mitigate the impact on local groundwater and wildlife. The town must ensure the bridge can withstand a major regional storm and make contingency plans for extreme weather events.

 “I am pleased that the minister agreed with the town’s position,” said Mayor Al Alls. “This structure is important to the successful movement of people. The added benefit of the province allowing the pond to stay is that we will continue to maintain an important cultural amenity that is a landmark of our community.”

Gooderham and Worts built the dam that created the Hillsburgh 

millpond in the early 1850s, with a new mill that shipped 

grain to what is now Toronto’s Distillery District. 

The Station Street bridge was built in 1917.

The $2.5 million project will now proceed, but will not be complete before the early summer opening of the new Hillsburgh Library next to the pond. Draining the pond would have cost an extra $700,000.

Credit Valley Conservation had wanted full consideration of decommissioning the dam and possibly creating a smaller “off-line” pond next to the river, to improve fish habitat. The town said it could not consider those options since Wellington County owns the pond and is committed to preserving it.

The minister said the town had “no obligation to carry forward alternatives that are not reasonable, practical or implementable”.

The 101-year-old bridge was first identified in 1971 as being in need of replacement. The road on the dam was closed in 2011 after a section subsided due to a failing outlet pipe. Temporary work was done in 2012 to make the road safe for traffic, and steel reinforcements installed to protect the earthen berm that holds back the water.

LOOKING BACK – Returning war veteran hosts concert

From the Advocate – 100 years ago (1918)

Returning war veteran hosts concert

A Grand Concert is to be held at Hillsburg Town Hall, on Friday evening, Feb. 15th. Sgt. J.R. McNally, recently returned from the Firing Line, will preside as Chairman. Proceeds are for the Red Cross of Hillsburg.

The Belfountain and Rockside Red Cross Society have shipped to headquarters for the month of January 42 pair of socks, 18 suits of pyjamas, 12 day shirts and 36 towels.

From the Advocate – 35 years ago (1983)

Will Conservatives back a leader?

An editorial by Advocate Editor Bob Kincaid asked: Did Joe Clark do the right thing when he called for a Progressive Conservative leadership convention after receiving over 66 per cent of his party’s support? He is allowing 33 per cent to run the party. Mr. Clark should realize that 66 per cent is not that bad.

The Conservatives have made it a habit to shoot themselves in the foot, just when they have the opportunity to win an election and take over the government. Former party president Dalton Camp said it is “preposterous” that a mere 33 per cent should be allowed to set policy. On the other hand, Toronto MP Otto Jelinek says new convention is badly needed.

Potential new leaders – “phantoms”, as Clark calls them – should be coming out of the woodwork in the next two to three weeks. If Clark wins this time, will the party stand behind their leader and become solid? I doubt it. They haven’t for the past 40 years. Why should they now?

From the Advocate – 25 years ago (1993)

Editor Bill Doole remembered

Career journalist, teacher and former owner and editor of The Advocate Bill Doole died last week after an 11-year-long battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Doole, 76, was well-known and liked in the newspaper business and the communities where he worked. He and his wife Nora, who died in 1990, owned the Erin Advocate for six and a half years in the 1970s, buying it from Charles W. Hull in July 1972. He would sometimes write a column called Typewriter Dust, and after retiring wrote a column called Sweet and Sour.

Doole was the son of an Irish immigrant building contractor who had fought at the Battle of Batoche during the Riel Rebellion. He started as a copy boy and became a crime reporter at the Toronto Star. He served with the Canadian army in Ottawa during the war. He later worked for the Vancouver Sun and was editor and publisher of the Brampton Conservator. Before buying The Advocate, he taught journalism for two years at Sheridan College.

From the Advocate – 20 years ago (1998)

Anonymous $25,000 for trailway

A $25,000 anonymous donation for development of the Elora Cataract Trailway was presented to the trailway association last week by long-time trail advocates Peel Regional Councillor Ian Sinclair, Caledon Ward 1 Councillor Richard Paterak and Erin Mayor Barb Tocher. The donation will be used to develop the trail from Mississauga Road in Caledon to the Sixth Line of Erin. The Erin section could be done by September. The fundraising target is $238,000, with $114,723 raised so far. It is being used for trail surfacing, interpretive rest areas and parkland in Erin village and Hillsburgh.

Angelstone zoning approved by OMB

A challenge to the zoning of the Angelstone Farms show jumping facility on Wellington Road 50 has been rejected by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Frederick and Nancy Gilbert who live next to the facility complained about the disruption of their rural lifestyle caused by an annual series of tournaments, attracting up to 1,000 spectators.

They argued at a five-day OMB hearing that the entertainment aspect of the events was not a proper agricultural use of the property.

Angelstone and the Town of Erin argued successfully that the farm’s primary use is horse training, and the events are a permissible secondary “value added” activity within the bylaw. They said adequate measures had been taken, as demanded by the town, to offset complaints about noise, traffic, trespassing and bright light.

The hearing was conducted by OMB member Sharyn Vincent. She ruled that the “innovative techniques” used by the Angelstone business are in the public interest, do not hinder neighbouring agricultural operations, and conform to the official plan, provincial policy and Ontario’s growth plan.

She ordered that the maximum number of event days be limited to 25 per year.

Angelstone originally held its equestrian events without proper zoning, but was allowed to continue under a series of temporary zoning bylaws. Last April, Erin council approved permanent zoning for the operation.

Former County Planning Director Gary Cousins told council he believes the show jumping, plus musical entertainment and the sale of merchandise, food and beverages, qualifies as a permitted use in an agricultural area.

Erin rejects wastewater cost cuts

The possibility of cutting back the capacity of Erin’s proposed wastewater system, with a savings of $8.8 million, was rejected unanimously by town council at a special meeting Jan. 26.

The possibility of scaling down the system was discussed previously, and council had asked Environmental Assessment consultant Ainley Group for a report. They wanted to deal with the issue before this week’s Public Information Centre – on Friday, Feb. 2 at Centre 2000, 6-9 p.m.

A treatment system with capacity beyond what is needed even for current population projections will give Erin flexibility for several future revisions of the Official Plan, said Ainley President Joe Mullan.

“The trunk sewer system and the treatment plant infrastructure will service the community for many decades,” he said, noting that some components could operate for 100 years.

 “It was the prudent course of action, ensuring capacity for commercial and industrial expansion,” said Coun. Jeff Duncan, who had pushed for the analysis.

Had council ordered a lowering of the sewage flow rate, Ainley would have charged $40,000 to revise five of its technical reports.

A key factor in designing a wastewater system is the maximum amount of liquid that a treatment plant could handle. This is based partly on average water consumption in the community, which from 2013 to 2015 was 195 litres per person, per day (L/p/d).

A factor of 2.8 persons per home is used in the projections, which is currently set for an urban population growing from the current 4,500 to about 14,600 over 20-30 years.

Ainley has added a “safety factor” of about 50 per cent to the water flow allowance, resulting in a rating of 290 L/p/d. Then, as required by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), they added an extra 90 L/d/p for infiltration (water that typically leaks into sewer pipes, increasing flow to the plant).

This has resulted in a proposed flow rate of 380 L/p/d. This was criticized as too high at a public meeting last June, even though it is lower than the flow rate of used by consultant B.M. Ross when they completed the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan in 2014.

It would mean a sewage treatment plant large enough to handle an average flow of 7,172 cubic metres of liquid, or 7.2 megalitres per day (MLD). No estimate has been provided of how large an urban population this could support, but it is beyond 14,600.

These numbers were used for the cost estimate of $118 million for full build-out of the whole system, including a treatment plant costing $61.1 million.

Ainley analyzed the possibility of cutting the safety factor down to 15 per cent, effectively reducing the total flow rate to 315 L/p/d, or 6.23 MLD.

That would reduce the cost of the plant to $54.3 million. There would be additional savings on pumping stations and sewer mains of about $2 million, for a total savings of $8.8 million. A portion of the savings would go to developers helping to pay for the system.

Mullan noted in his report that both the flow rate recommended for Erin, and the allowance for water infiltration are both lower than the levels used in the City of Guelph and the Regions of Peel and Waterloo including their member municipalities.

Other factors cited for building extra capacity include the fact that current water usage may be at a “conserved” low level, and could increase once residents are not concerned about septic systems in their yards.

The development of secondary suites on existing properties is expected to increase wastewater flows.

ERIN INSIGHT – Wastewater process requires trust

It would be incorrect to say that Erin’s urbanites will have no choices to make about the wastewater system that’s coming down the pipe.

Apart from three subdivisions that will be exempt from servicing, residents will probably be allowed to pay their share of the construction cost by cheque, or take out a loan from the Town of Erin at a very competitive interest rate.

The engineers we hired two years ago (for $883,770) were polite and professional while explaining the process to members of the Public Liaison Committee last week, but something did not feel right.

It would be too harsh to call it arrogance, but they projected an attitude of absolute certainty. They had done their tasks according to professional standards and traditions within their industry, so there were no crucial choices left to make.

The preferred options were to be self-evident in hundreds of pages of technical reports (downloadable at erin.ca), so their only duties were to offer brief explanations and listen to feedback – not to convince anybody of anything. Such a complex process requires a level of trust, and it can be difficult to achieve.

The best thing residents can do is make an effort to be informed. They can do that on Friday, Feb. 2, at a Public Information Centre, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Centre 2000, with a presentation at 7 p.m.

Our previous consultant B.M. Ross was telling us more than five years ago that we should build traditional gravity sewers, with some small pressurized sections in low-lying areas. The new consultant Ainley Group is telling us the same thing, in greater detail.

The residents and politicians of Erin may not be technically qualified to alter any aspects of a wastewater system, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try.

Transition Erin has pushed for a “small-bore” system, in which each property would have a new septic tank, discharging treated liquid to a system of small sewer pipes (4-8 inches in diameter). These would work mainly via gravity, with no pumps or grinders on people’s properties.

Such systems do exist, but both of our consultants have been against them, and there doesn’t appear to be much council support. Ainley’s task was to analyze the options.

Their report says the advantages of a small pipe system include less excavation, minimal water infiltration, no solids being transported, lower capital costs and low maintenance.

The list of disadvantages includes the large number of tanks on private property, pipes more subject to blockage, the need to pump out the tanks, corrosive effluent and the fact that these systems are not widely used in Canada, and not on this scale.

“Production of odour is common from improper house ventilation, manholes and system vents,” says the report. There would be extra costs for odour control at all pumping stations.

Transition Erin wants the small pipe option re-scored in the technical evaluation, based on their input, which could make it the preferred system. They also say Ainley has not projected a substantially smaller and less costly treatment plant needed for a small pipe system.

Council would have to order the new analysis, which could be costly. Though if it is valid, it should have been done in the first place.

Part of the frustration comes from false expectations about public input. Just because there is a “consultation” process doesn’t mean that public comments will change the details of what is planned. Even elected councillors have little influence on the plan.

Most infrastructure engineers work in a world of established standards, and comparisons with what has been done in other Ontario towns. Without a specific mandate from their customer to follow an innovative path, they will tend to opt for the low-risk, established process, even if it costs more.

Community Improvement Plan takes shape

An open house on Feb. 13 will present the public with various options for the Town of Erin Community Improvement Plan (CIP), expected to launch this spring.

Town council has endorsed the general idea of the program, which will provide grants or loans to local businesses to help pay eligible costs for physical improvements that will benefit the community.

Initial funding of $20,000 has been approved for the CIP, which could cover the entire town. A variety of incentive programs will be possible, but there has been no decision yet on which ones would initially be used.

The Feb. 13 open house will be held at Centre 2000, 6 to 8 p.m. There will be a presentation at 6.30 p.m., light refreshments and a question and answer time.

 “The main focus will be getting input from the community,” said Economic Development Officer Robyn Mulder.

Council received an update on the plan at their Jan. 16 meeting from Mulder, and Nancy Reid of Stantec, the consultant hired to help design the program. It would work in cooperation with a Wellington County CIP called Invest Well, which could provide additional support in Erin.

“The CIP should help reshape the town and provide support for certain types of redevelopment,” said Mulder. “It should communicate that the town is ‘open for business’. It could generate revenue to help balance out the taxes in this town, and attract other investors.”

Substantial improvements to buildings would mean greater tax assessment, though one of the possible incentives could defer those tax increases.

The ratio of grants to loans has not been determined, but repayment of loans could put money back into the program.

Other incentives include façade, signage and property improvements, accessibility projects, design and study funding, and building conversions and expansions.

Councillor Matt Sammut was concerned that the program not cast too wide a net. “I don’t want to put public money into private hands and have no value to the community,” he said.

Mulder assured him that council will still have input on the eligibility criteria, and that the experience of other communities shows that business owners invested substantially in the projects. The total value of the construction was three to five times more than the grants in Haldimand County, Elgin County and the Township of Centre Wellington.