A lot has been written and said about the waste water treatment facility that is being built for our town. Some media have been finding ways to put a negative spin on it, causing doubt and anxiety among a few citizens.
Three years ago when a new Town Council stepped up to fill the void that was left by two years of trusteeship, only an outstanding court order to build a facility was staring us in the face. There was no ready solution. Only the threat of punishing fines levied by the court.
Since that time much has transpired. The Territorial Government knocked themselves out to find a viable remedy for our secondary treatment woes. During a long and arduous journey the Territory included the Town in as much of the process as was possible.
We now have a signed contract with Corix who will oversee all the stages of a complex project. I believe the result will be a state of the art facility held up as an example to other municipalities.
It is not lost on me that our town is the recipient of a system that municipalities many times our size would not be able to afford from a capital cost point of view.
Despite the hysterical and unfounded claims made by Mayor Jenkins, the operation and maintenance of the plant will be affordable. In fact, other related capital projects are being entertained that will translate into even lower O&M.
Myself and council fought hard to ensure that Dawson has some extra ‘padding’ or protection within the memorandum of agreement with YTG in the unlikely event that operation and maintenance costs go completely sideways.
Not to blow my own horn, but I do think this is a major milestone in modern Dawson history. I sincerely hope I am still in office for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
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