The cost of rebuilding the Silver Star Lake spillway, through which much of Armstrong’s water flows, has been pegged in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, prompting an Armstrong councillor to ask for a
meeting with Ministry of Environment officials. “What started as initially a straight forward repair seemed to have snowballed into a significant estimated repair,” said Coun. John Trainor, chairman of the public works committee. The initial estimate given by ministry engineers was $350,000, prompting a motion to meet with representatives at the spillway site. So Coun. Chris Pieper asked for a meeting with ministry officials to look at alternatives to the costly
rebuilding. “The only option, that the current engineers looked at is replacement of the spillway at the current place. By going there, maybe other options will present themselves,” said Pieper. But Mayor Jerry Oglow said that further consultations will mean that the spillway will not be able to obtain financing from the current budget process. “What we’re doing at this point in time, by looking at meeting with the Ministry of Environment, is delaying the financing,” he told council. Ice has caused the spillway – which is actually a small dam – to flex over recent years. Repairs have been done in past, but this year, the ministry decided a full rebuild is necessary. Because an on-site meeting could not take place until the spring, council has asked for ministry representatives to attend the next committee meeting. There, city representatives are hoping that they can find how the costs can be mitigated. 
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