Dear Mayor McLaughlin and Council,
It is with great pleasure that I write today to inform you that the Enerdu Redevelopment project has finally received all the necessary approvals from the Provincial and Federal Government agencies.
It has been a long approval process and one that has seen considerable controversy, yet now, after six years of hard work and significant expenditure we believe that we have a project that both the Town of Mississippi Mills and Enerdu will be proud of for years to come.
While perhaps this process has been somewhat adversarial, we do believe that in the end the project reflects the input of not only those that participated at the public forums, but also that of Council and in particular the Design Advisory Committee (DAC).
We want to thank Council and Town staff for their assistance, particularly Councilors’ Gillis and Edwards and Town Planner Stephen Sterling for their insights and opinions offered as members of the DAC. A special thanks to DAC public members Stephen Braithwaite and Fred Dennis, their views and expertise were greatly appreciated.
In the very near future Enerdu will be submitting all the necessary materials for the Building Permit Application. We have taken an enormous amount of time to ensure that these documents meet or exceed the standards. We have engaged external reviewers to make sure that the building officials will have everything they required for their technical review.
Enerdu is also in the process of establishing a web page where pertinent information regarding the construction planning etc. will be posted regularly to keep interested parties informed on the progress and construction scheduling. We will send you the web page detail as soon as it is available. We will also provide an email address for the public to contact Enerdu with any inquiries or concerns.
Soon, we will be reaching out to the various community groups that have expressed interest in being made aware of construction planning to ensure that we can minimize any impact to local festivals and events. The details of these are contained within the Class Environmental Assessment for WaterpowerEnviromental Report and Minister’s Part II Order Decision Letter that were approved some time ago. We will be diligent in our planning to ensure that we meet all of those items contained in the approved EA.
I am pleased to inform you that Thomas Cavanagh Construction Limited has been selected as the General Contractor for this project. Cavanagh Construction is well positioned to conduct the construction process in an environmentally conscientious and timely manner. As well, we will be using several other local firms in this project, including West End Forming, McNamee Concrete, and Canadian Hydro Components.
Around the first week of July, Enerdu will begin the work to create the access to the river on the north side of the river. The first order of business is to establish upstream cofferdams on the north side of the
river in order to conduct the required rock excavation and build the northside weirs. All cofferdam placements have been reviewed and approved under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act managed by the MNRF.
If blasting is to occur, all buildings in the zone will have pre and post blasting surveys conducted as per the agreements in the EA. The landowners will be notified directly by the blasting company.
Once the building permit has been received, work will begin on the new powerhouse downstream. We will provide additional detail on the web page as plans progress.
Next year, the work on the south side of the river will occur, that being weir replacement upstream and the repair of the water control structure at Thoburn Mills. As you know, Enerdu will be requesting access to the river via the Town Hall parking lot. A letter detailing this and the work required will be sent to Council shortly. We trust that this will meet with your approval.
In conclusion, we look forward to working closely with Council and Township staff throughout the 18 month construction period. We would like to maintain communication to allow for transparency between Enerdu, the town and the public throughout this process. Thank you and we appreciate your cooperation.
Respectfully submitted
Jeff Cavanagh Owner
Ron Campbell Project Lead
