In order to look forward to her retirement in December, Mayor of the Township of Chisholm Barb Groves first had to look back on the hard work she and her fellow councillors have put in over the past couple of years.
In order to look forward to her retirement in December, Mayor of the Township of Chisholm Barb Groves first had to look back on the hard work she and her fellow councillors have put in over the past couple of years.
Known in political circles as the ‘bridge lady,’ Groves has been tenacious in lobbying every level of government to secure funding to cover a number of badly needed infrastructure projects, and on Friday they officially opened a new two-lane bridge and celebrated the River Road resurfacing project.
As this was the last major event Groves would preside over as mayor both MP Anthony Rota and MPP Monique Smith took time out to thank the unyielding mayor not just for her efforts in making Chisholm a better place to live, but to also thank her for her continued support of their initiatives.
Full details in the news release below.
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An official ceremony was held today to celebrate the completion of improvements to Bridge No.13 on Memorial Park Drive in the Township of Chisholm. The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; the Honourable Monique Smith, Ontario Minister of Tourism, and MPP for Nipissing; and Barbara J. Groves, Mayor of the Township of Chisholm, are pleased to see this important Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF) project reach completion. MPP Monique Smith, MP Anthony Rota, Mayor Barb Groves and community members were on hand to celebrate.
The new two-lane bridge includes a wider surface deck, allowing greater traffic flow. An increased load capacity will also make it accessible for emergency vehicles, school buses and heavy commercial trucks.
The Governments of Canada and Ontario each committed up to $145,833 to these projects under the third intake of COMRIF. The Township of Chisholm committed the balance of the projects’ total eligible cost of $437,500.
“I’m pleased that residents of Chisholm are now able to benefit from the improved bridge, which enhances the local transportation network,” said Minister Goodyear. “Under Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving community infrastructure, investing in local economies and creating jobs.”
While in Chisholm, MPP Monique Smith and Mayor Groves with community members also celebrated the resurfacing of a section of River Road in the Township of Chisholm. The portion of River Road that was resurfaced was 4.1 km in length. The resurfaced part of the road was increased from 20 feet to 22 feet wide. Funding in the amount of $400,000 for this resurfacing was made available through the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII) of the provincial government.
“It is important to keep our essential infrastructure in good working order,” said Minister Smith. “The rehabilitation of Bridge No. 13 on Memorial Park Drive will ensure that the residents and visitors of Chisholm have a safe and reliable bridge to travel on.”
“Thanks to our federal and provincial partners, we are providing safer roads and bridges for our residents and visitors,” said Mayor Groves.
Under the COMRIF program, the governments of Canada and Ontario are working together with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and local partners to respond to local needs through infrastructure upgrades providing clean, safe drinking water, better sewage systems, improved waste management processes, safer local roads and bridges, as well as other health and safety priorities.
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