WATER MAINS SET FOR REPAIR THANKS TO $1.9M GRANT

WORK PART OF WIDER PLAN TO IMPROVE DOWNTOWN AREA

Grimsby's aging downtown water infrastructure is set to be upgraded thanks to funding from two upper levels of government.

On April 18, the Town of Grimsby was awarded a $1.9-million grant to replace the water mains, service pipes and fire hydrants on Main and Elm streets.

The project will include the replacement of the old cast-iron water pipes with ones made from PVC. The design phase of the program will start in 2023, with construction expected to begin in 2024.

The money for the initiative comes from the federal and provincial levels. Ontario is providing $874,912.50, with the federal government picking up the rest.

The federal grant is part of a $33-billion Investing in

Canada Infrastructure Program, one of the aims of which is to provide clean water.

Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordan thanked the governments for the funding, saying "we would like to thank our provincial and federal partners, including MPP (Sam) Oosterhoff and MP (Dean) Allison, for their continued advocacy of Grimsby's application.

"This work will help ensure Grimsby residents have access to clean and safe drinking water for decades to come."

The water infrastructure work is part of Grimsby's "Downtown Reimagined"

project, which is looking to improve Grimsby's downtown area and reimagine the space.

The program launched in September 2021 and aims to take advantage of the fact that the need to upgrade the water main on Main Street allowed for simultaneous above-ground improvements.

"Now's the time to plan for streetscape improvements in time for the downtown water main replacement," said Jordan at the time. "We're excited to deliver this revitalization project to the community and shape the downtown core for years to come."