Coastal GasLink has asked the District of Houston for a list of projects it might help finance.
Called legacy projects, the intent is to provide something that lasts into the future as a community benefit and are often a gesture on the part of companies in recognition of a significant impact on the community.
“These are often good projects to undertake whereas funding would not normally be readily available or easily secured,” leisure services director Tasha Kelly noted in a memo to council discussed at its Oct. 6 meeting.
A list presented by Kelly for consideration ranged from an outdoor skating rink carrying an unconfirmed price tag of $275,000, to arena skate bar aids at $10,000, to a piano and public use shelter estimated at $12,000 for redone 9th Street to spending an estimated $15,000 for spin bikes.
A splash park, leisure facility water slide and a field house at 4 Seasons Park, costs for all three have yet to be estimated, round out the list.
Council deferred the matter to its Oct. 20, 2020 council meeting.
So far Coastal GasLink has not provided specifications of what it would consider financing nor a budget range.
To date there is one significant local project which received a financial boost through Coastal GasLink’s natural gas pipeline from northeastern B.C. to Kitimat that’s now under construction.
Civeo, the workplace accommodation company hired by Coastal GasLink to provide housing for pipeline workers south of Houston, is paying the lion’s share of the bulk water and sewage receiving station the District is now building.
It benefits Civeo as it will have a facility to provide large volumes of water and to accept large volumes of waste and it benefits the District which views it as a ongoing service for any other large-scale users. Civeo will be paying service fees to use the facility.