Written By David Gomez
ADELAIDE METCALFE - Council approved infrastructure tenders and reviewed a summary of grant funding during its March 2 meeting, addressing projects related to municipal drainage, road maintenance and external funding opportunities.
The first item before council concerned the construction of the Winter Drain, a municipal drainage project that has been progressing through the engineer’s report process for several months. Drainage Superintendent Rob Keidel told council the project had moved successfully through the required stages and was recently brought to tender.
Keidel explained that landowners had expressed a strong desire to see the work completed as quickly as possible this year.
To encourage early completion, the township structured the tender to favour contractors willing to undertake construction sooner in the season. Keidel noted the bids received were favourable and came in below expectations. “I definitely recommend that you would pick the low bidder, Robinson Farm Drainage; they had definitely come in under the estimate, and I’m pleased with that bid,” he said.
Mayor Susan Clarke noted the contractor’s familiarity in the region before council voted on the recommendation.
Council subsequently approved the tender from Robinson Farm Drainage in the amount of $127,136 plus HST for construction of the Winter Drain.
The meeting then moved to the annual maintenance gravel tender for the township’s gravel roads. Public Works Manager Coulter Cahill reported that the tender attracted a higher level of interest than usual.
“This year’s maintenance gravel tender closed on Wednesday, February 25th. We received eight bids, which is amazing. Usually, we are right around five or six,” Cahill said.
The successful bid was submitted by McKenzie Henderson for the supply and application of maintenance gravel. Cahill explained that the township plans to apply approximately 12,000 tonnes of gravel this year, similar to recent years.
The accepted bid totals $236,520 plus HST, which Cahill noted is below the township’s budgeted amount for the program. “Based on the bids received, we are under the budget amount of $247,200 by $10,680 for 2026,” he said.
Mayor Clarke welcomed the result and credited early budget approval with helping staff secure competitive bids. “I always like to see them kind of let under budget,” she said, adding that having the budget in place early allows staff to move quickly when issuing tenders.
Council approved the contract and authorized the mayor and clerk to execute the agreement on behalf of the township.
The final report discussed at the meeting was a summary of grants and donations received by the township between 2020 and 2025. Treasurer Johnny Pereira presented the overview, which highlighted funding secured through competitive applications as well as community contributions.
“During this period, the township did secure just over $378,000 in competitive application-based grants,” Pereira said. He explained that the funding supported projects such as fire department equipment, improvements to Kerwood Park and pothole repair initiatives.
In addition to those grants, Pereira noted the township received “just over $85,000 in donations,” including contributions from corporations and community groups operating within the municipality.
Between 2023 and 2025, staff submitted or reviewed 41 grant applications, representing approximately 190 hours of staff time devoted to preparing submissions and reporting requirements.
Pereira also reported that the township received about $3.7 million in formula-based funding through programs such as the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund and the Canada Community-Building Fund.
Council received the grant and donation funding summary report for information.
