LRCA back to drawing board

A planned $4-million new home for the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority has been indefinitely put on hold.

LRCA chaiman Bill Bartley on Thursday said they were told by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation that a $1 million funding request to help pay for a new facility to be situated on a vacant Simpson Street lot adjacent to the Neebing River had been denied.

As a result, despite having secured about $2 million needed to build the 12,000 sq. ft. facility, and facing the end of a 60-day freeze on the construction costs, the LRCA’s board decided to put the project on the backburner while other solutions are sought.

"We had asked for a million dollars from (the NOHFC) and we’d also asked for some major funding from FedNor. We decided for due diligence that it was probably best not to sign the construction contract on Friday or Monday," Bartley said.

"So basically the building is not going to be built in 2010. It’s not a dead issue quite yet. We are looking at options. We’re going to have a wholesome discussion over the next while with our board as to what we want to do, where we’re going to go and things like that."

Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle, reached by phone Thursday afternoon after arriving home from Queen’s Park, said it’s his understanding that the application did not meet a couple of important criteria set forth by the NOHFC.

"There are limitations, and there is indeed very specific criteria that we think is the most fair way to bring applications forward," said Gravelle, who heads the funding organization at the cabinet level. "It’s my understanding that the key reason why this application was declined was that there was no job creation, or no significant job creation as a result of the construction of the building."

He added a portion of the project, notably additional storage, is not covered under NOHFC funding.

Gravelle said without the jobs, it’s tough to give any project the green light. He did suggest the LRCA board might consider seeking Trillium Fund money.

Bartley said they’re not giving up hope.

"Funding may come through from other sources. If it does, we’ll certainly revisit the issue. But until then we really have to do our due diligence," he said.

The LRCA was formed in 1963 and manage, under provincial authority, the region’s water, land and natural habitats. It’s currently housed in a 53-year-old former school on Oliver Road.

Bartley said while new construction tends to be the most cost-effective method, the board will consider renovation of their existing home should that be their only option.