Council seeks extension from ODRAP to complete flood damage repairs next spring

Ken Johnston
Editor

Work continues at a feverish pace on Rainy River’s sewer system and ground water drainage system. However that work does not come without a price, a price that the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program will hopefully pay all or most of.
At a special meeting of Rainy River’s town council Friday, Town Administrator Deb Bowman informed council that a request for an extension for completion of the work started this summer until next spring and a request for a second installment of ODRAP money is needed.
“All the money advanced has been used up. We need a second advance of money,” said Bowman.
While ODRAP announced it would provide funding based on initial estimates of the repairs, Bowman said that new estimates will bring the figures higher and that they will provide those estimates to ODRAP.
Bowman told the Record in July that the cost to repair the sewer system most damaged by the flooding was estimated to be about $766,000. Of that they were hoping to get $666,000 from ODRAP and $100,000 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. . It has received $368,791 (half of the $738,000 requested) from ODRAP.
In addition to the sewer repairs council also submitted an application for $72,000 to ODRAP for new culverts and ditching around town.
The extension council asked ODRAP for includes road work, sidewalk work and all the damage at Hannam Park. If approved that work will be done in the spring.