St. Paul Regional Partnerships Receive $818,615 in Funding Grants

Residents in the St. Paul Region will benefit from new and upgraded local infrastructure and servicing thanks to funding from the Government of Alberta for five projects through the Alberta Community Partnership Program. These projects represent important investments in municipal infrastructure that will maintain safe, healthy, and prosperous communities in the Region. Once complete, the work will significantly improve key municipal services for residents and help boost regional development.

The objective of the Alberta Community Partnership Program is to improve the viability and long-term sustainability of municipalities by providing support for regional collaboration and capacity building initiatives. The Program provides funding to partnerships of two or more municipalities to develop or expand regional municipal service delivery while enhancing intermunicipal relationships through joint and collaborative activities.

“The Provincial Government has created an extremely valuable program that allows the St. Paul Region to capitalize on the strong relationships that we have with our neighbouring municipalities. We are always looking for ways to create economies of scale and get better value for our dollar. The ACP Program greatly aids us in accomplishing these goals” asserts County Chief Administrative Officer Sheila Kitz.

The following projects were approved in the St. Paul Region:

• Regional Occupational Health and Safety Initiative ($78,000) – Partners: County of St. Paul, Town of Elk Point, Town of St. Paul, and Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay
• Enhanced Regional Radio Communications Plan ($130,000) – Partners: County of St. Paul, Town of Elk Point, Town of St. Paul, and Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay
• Value-added Waste Feasibility Study ($150,000) – Partners: County of St. Paul and Town of St. Paul
• Winter Road Maintenance Storage Shed Project ($180,000) – Partners: County of St. Paul and Town of Elk Point; and
• Potable Water Truck Fill Facility Construction ($280,625) – Partners: County of St. Paul and Town of Elk Point

“These initiatives further solidify our Region’s desire to continue working collaboratively with our neighbours to enhance programs and services for our residents. These grants validate the work we are doing” states Reeve Steve Upham of the County of St. Paul.

The Regional Occupational Heath and Safety Initiative will witness all four municipalities uniting together under one singular safety program. This project will enhance oversight and health and safety practices while creating a safer workplace for employees of all four municipalities. This Initiative is the first of its kind in Alberta.

The Enhanced Radio Communications Project will upgrade tower equipment that will significantly improve radio communications in an effort to strengthen emergency, volunteer fire, and other day-to-day radio communications within the St. Paul Region.

The Value-Added Waste Feasibility Study will examine strategies that the Region can take to divert municipal waste from landfills and transfer stations through the use of unique and innovative technologies that can convert municipal waste into value-added products.

The Winter Road Maintenance Storage Shed Project will create a new location for the stockpiling, storage and joint use of winter road maintenance supplies such as salt and sand in the eastern portion of the St. Paul Region. This will help increase response times for the delivery of snow and ice removal services.

The Potable Water Truck Fill Facility Project will provide for the design, construction, and commissioning of a new facility. This will vastly improve potable water access for residents in the eastern part of the Region. The upgraded facility will cost less to operate and will be able to accommodate the Region’s current and anticipated residential and business needs.

“As a small community, we do not always have the capacity to carry out the large scale projects that we desire, but by pooling resources with our neighbours, we have been able to make critical infrastructure investments that have positive and lasting effects on the quality of life for our residents. The Town is proud of the Region’s success with these grants as well as the strong and fruitful relationships we share with our neighbouring municipalities” declares Mayor Parrish Tung of the Town of Elk Point.

“It takes determined leadership to make regional collaboration successful. All of the municipalities in our region put their personalities and challenging issues aside and cooperated to access these provincial grants for the betterment of the Region” affirms Mayor Gary Burns of the Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay.

“I would like to thank the respective Councils and administrative personnel for their due diligence and hard work in pursuing these funding opportunities. It demonstrates the Region’s commitment to being creative and innovative when delivering municipal services and I am excited to see what the Region comes up with moving forward” says Mayor Glenn Andersen of the Town of St. Paul.

*Press Release from the County of St. Paul