Cumberland County is preparing for the 2023 construction season by approving a number of capital projects around the municipality.
Approving the capital budget early allows municipal staff to get the best pricing and optimal availability of contractors.
There are about 32.4 km of roads in Parrsboro and 36.3 km of roads in Springhill the municipality is responsible for. Roads normally have a life of 20 years, so it’s prudent to repave about a kilometre of roads in each municipality each year.
The Municipality of Cumberland conducted a survey of asphalt condition in 2020 and used the ranking of pavement conditions along with infrastructure age/condition to identify a preferred list of roads for paving
The intent is also to avoid roads where the underground infrastructure is due to be replaced in the next several years.
Capital projects approved for 2023 include the Junction Road rehabilitation, with an estimated cost of $6 million; the Athol Road water line replacement, with an estimated cost of $1.44 million; the installation of water meters at $1.2 million; Springhill capital paving, estimated at $755,688 and Parrsboro capital paving, estimated to cost $461,709.
Capital paving in Springhill includes: Black River Road (Civic Number 118 to McGee Street), Princess Street (Main to Sproule), Starr Street (Cowan to Herrett), Highland Street (Herrett to west end), Church Street (Crossin to south end), North Street (Junction Road to former town boundary) and Dunn Street (Herrett to west end).
Capital paving in Parrsboro includes: Farrell Road (Upper Main to Templar) and Templar Street (Farrell to Civic 79).
The municipality is also moving forward with the installation of water meters in Springhill.
The use of water meters promotes water conservation and accountability for water usage with each resident. It also makes residents aware of how much water they consume and charges them accordingly.
Springhill water utility users are presently billed on a flat rate basis, although there are currently 50 metered customers in the community servicing industrial accounts, some commercial accounts and institutions.
Water meters have been installed in both the Pugwash and Parrsboro water systems. There are currently 1,553 customers of the Springhill water utility.