Municipal Projects

The NB Environmental Trust Fund at work

The many benefits to urban reforestation include improved air quality; restoration of wildlife habitat; better storm water management; traffic calming, and enhanced aesthetics of neighborhoods and public gathering places.

In 2022 The Village of New Maryland was the successful recipient of $4,000 in street tree funding support from the Government of New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund. With this funding 16 trees were planted along Village streets at selected locations on Sprucewood Drive and Kirkland Drive in the Applewood Subdivision. The species planted included Gikgo, Linden, Serviceberry and Maple trees varieties.

   

The Village of New Maryland was the successful recipient of a Treemendous Communities grant from Tree Canada

The Village of New Maryland was also the successful recipient of a Treemendous Communities grant from Tree Canada, made possible by UPS and their generous funding and volunteer contributions.

Grant Funds in the amount of $10,000 were used to purchase 73 trees to beautify various local streets and Village-owned properties throughout the community. The project includes the planting of 12 varieties of tree species such as Oak, Maples, Pine and Butternut, to name a few.

On May 28^th volunteers from UPS, Tree Canada, Village Council and staff planted a total of 41 trees. 20 trees can be spotted along the trails at the New Maryland Centre. Another 12 tress were planted in Orchard Park and 9 trees were planted at a location on Doherty Street. The trees can be identified by stakes with species information cards attached.

On June 15^th & 16^th,2022 Village staff planted trees within the limits of the 20-metre-wide municipal street right-of-way at selected locations along Sandcherry Street, Jasmine Court, Kimberley Lane, Lynda Lane and Stonehurst Avenue. The trees have species information cards attached.

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New Maryland Nature Trails (behind the New Maryland Centre) are a popular destination for walkers, snowshoers, bird watchers, rock lovers, and nature enthusiasts. The trails consist of three unique sections – Fletcher’s Walk, Charter’s Way and Cameron’s Loop. A uniquely designed 42-foot span suspension bridge, an elevated boardwalk, and informational signage all add to the enjoyment of the trails. In recent years the nature trails have enjoyed a surge in popularity, resulting in wear and tear and required refurbishment. In 2018, twelve sections of boardwalk, as well as the covered bridge, were replaced. The remaining 151 metres of boardwalk in Cameron’s Loop was recently removed and replaced with 115 metres of crusher dust and 36 metres of elevated boardwalk. The project cost of $32,000 will be receiving funding from the Community Investment Fund for $15,000. Staff are thrilled to have this last section of the trail upgrade completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunrise Wellfield Development Project

Quick Facts

Why the need for a new water source? We need to secure and develop a sustainable, reliable, safe and affordable water supply system.  Our current 3 main production wells are all located in the same area (same aquifer creates potential for devastating effects if contamination occurs) and we have experienced challenges with maintaining that system.  There are also potential impacts from the Trans-Canada Highway No. 2 which cuts through our wellfield, the increased growth of the industrial park in the adjacent community, climate change impacts and the lowering of well operating levels with all 3 wells operating below their rated capacities.

Is our Fire Fighting Capacity impacted?: The current water system has no source of redundancy so a loss of that water source impacts our ability to provide fire fighting capabilities to our municipality and the surrounding areas currently serviced by our fire department.

Where is the new Sunrise Wellfield located?: The wellfield is located along the southern most border of the Village limits (towards Nasonworth).  It is not located adjacent to the Sunrise Estates Subdivision.  There is a large parcel of land (over 100 acres) between the Sunrise Estates subdivision and the parcel of land that contains the wellfield.  The wellfield is located at the farthest border of that property away from the Sunrise Estates subdivision.

What are the Financial Impacts?: The cost of this project exceeds $10 Million Dollars.  Provincial legislation requires the water utility to be self-funding, which means that all costs are borne by our residents currently using the water system.  We would not have been able to proceed with this project without the significant financial support of the provincial and federal levels of government.

Why not increase the scope of this project?: The financing and project details have been approved by the other levels of government.  To increase the scope of the project would mean to add millions of dollars in additional costs.  All of those costs would be borne by our residents through increased water rates, which is not feasible.  We are moving forward with this first step, and will continue to add to the scope of the project as we are able to secure additional financing.  We have to move forward in a fiscally responsible manner.

What will the Village do if Private wells are impacted?: The Village has confirmed, in writing, that should this project negatively impact private well owners, the municipality will cover the costs associated with remediation that could include re-positioning or replacing the well pump, re-drilling the well to a greater depth or full replacement of the well.

How are we Monitoring potential Impact?: We are working with several residents in Sunrise Estates that have allowed us to install monitoring devices on their private wells.  We also drilled observation wells for a total of over 15 well locations that are collecting data on any impacts from the new wells.

How has communication unfolded?: Council has discussed wellfield exploration for over 15 years at various public meetings, Council meetings, Strategic Planning sessions and other avenues.  We do recognize that people do not attend meetings, read Council Minutes, etc. until they feel there may be a direct impact to themselves.  This project has gone through an extensive public consultation component.  When the Public Open House was scheduled for Thursday, July 09^th, 2020 we advertised in the Daily Gleaner, on our Community Bulletin Board, on our Social Media sites (Facebook, Twitter & Website) and sent personal invitations to all property owners who are adjacent to the parcel of land where the wellfield is located.  The residents in Sunrise Estates subdivision are not adjacent to the parcel of land involved and therefore did not receive personal invitations.  However, when some of the residents advised us of their concerns at the open house, we immediately prepared copies of all documents that were on display at the open house and delivered those door-to-door to all homes in Sunrise Estates, with an offer for our engineers, consultants and staff to meet with any property owner at their convenience.  We did not have any resident take us up on that offer.  The documents, reports and/or updates since that initial open house event have been shared through our social media sites and hand-delivered to every home in the Sunrise Estates subdivision, and all correspondence or questions have received a response.

The Open House event in July 2020 was also impacted by the pandemic.  COVID-19 protocols that were necessary for the public meeting (wearing mask, maintaining social distance, etc.) received extensive criticism.  Not everyone in attendance would wear a mask and/or social distance when asked to do so.   We did not feel that we could safely host another public meeting at that time, however the offer remains open for any resident to meet with our staff and consultants.

These are just a few quick facts and by no means include all of the background information and/or details of each topic.  There is detailed information on the Village’s website at www.vonm.ca.  If any resident would like to speak to Council, senior staff or our engineers about this project, please contact our CAO, Cynthia Geldart at 451-8508 or cynthia.geldart@vonm.ca and she will schedule a meeting.

 

The Village of New Maryland is launching a new project aimed at establishing urban design standards and guidelines to create a more vibrant community core along the New Maryland Highway.  Click here for more information about the project.

 

 

The New Maryland Fire Department received its new heavy rescue unit on January 11, 2020, which replaced the light rescue unit that the fire department had.

This unit is a walk around and walk in rescue, and is designed to transport fire personnel to the scene. It contains more storage space to carry additional equipment that is needed in today’s fire service. It also has the capability to be used as command post at a scene when the Village encounters major emergencies or disaster events.

The 2020 Freightliner is 34 feet 9 inches long and 12 foot 2 inches high. The unit is red in color and has New Maryland Fire Department on each side in large letters. It was built by Maxi Metal Inc. from St-Georges, Quebec, Canada.

The total cost of unit was $402,442.50. The monies for this unit came from the Capital Reserve Fund for Fire Trucks which was established in 2013. Each year money is allocated to the reserve fund for the purpose of replacing fire trucks when needed.

 

       

 

The upgrading of Route 101 included asphalt milling and asphalt surface paving of approximately 660 meters of Route 101 through New Maryland. Work also included replacement of short sections of concrete curb and sidewalk and shoulder reinstatement.
This project was co-funded by the Province of New Brunswick and the Village of New Maryland.

 

The Bismark Street Trunk Sewer Upgrade 2019 project was Phase 2 and 3 of the trunk sewer upgrades that was identified in the Stormwater Management Plan. The upgrade reduces the risk of stormwater surcharging. The project included installation of approximately 240 meters of large diameter storm sewer pipe and associated appurtenances along Bismark Street from Gladstone to Melrose Avenue. Work also involved extensive site restoration of streets, curbs, driveways and landscaping.

 

 

The Village replaced approximately 300 meters of water main along Woodlawn Lane and reconnected the existing water service laterals and hydrants to the new water main. The water main was replaced due to several failures experienced in recent years. Approximately 300 metres of sanitary force main was also replaced to increase capacity of the Kerry Lane pumping station. Work also included site and street restoration.

 

 

The Bradshaw Drive Sanitary Sewer Installation 2019 project involved the supply and installation of approximately 190 meters of sanitary sewer and associated appurtenances along Bradshaw Drive from Route 101 to Nicholson Crescent (west). The work was identified as a strategic upgrade in the Wastewater Master Plan by redirecting sanitary sewer flows from Route 101 through Castle Acres Subdivision. Redirecting this flow allows the Kerry Lane pump station to handle new development sanitary flow. Work also included site restoration of streets, driveways and landscaping.

 

 

 

In June 2019, staff of NB Trails removed and replaced twelve sections of the boardwalk on the New Maryland Centre trail system. The new sections were built at a higher elevation which will help mitigate water damage to the boardwalk during the spring freshet. The total cost of this project was just over $22,000 including HST. The twelve sections that were replaced have been the source of ongoing board replacement and repairs, so this project will ultimately save significant staff time and annual maintenance costs.

 

Shaw Park (Springwater Place subdivision) was inherited when the Village was incorporated in 1991.  The park features a basketball court, a large play structure, two swing sets, an accessible swing, a picnic shelter and a large playing field. The original play structure was installed by the Village in 1996.  

The Recreation & Leisure Services Department is very pleased to continue on our path of playground equipment renewal in our Village parks. A new play structure for ages 5-12 has recently been installed as well as two swing sets (2-12), a corkscrew spinner (2-12) and a play climber “May Pole” (5-12). The new play structure has several climbing features as well as a 6 foot slide! A border has also been installed along the playground footprint to prevent grass encroachment, and new signage has also been installed.  

The front of the park has recently been top-soiled and seeded. Residents are asked to refrain from walking in the area marked with delineators; however the equipment installation is complete and we encourage everyone to come and check out our new playground!

For any inquiries, please feel free to contact Michelle Sawler in the Recreation & Leisure Services Department – michelle.sawler@vonm.ca.

 

New Structure Installation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Park Equipment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The official opening of the New Maryland Centre’s new Solar Energy Generation System was held on Friday, October 13, 2017 at 12 noon.   In attendance were the Mayor and members of Village Council, MP Matt DeCourcey, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), MLA Jeff Carr, Village staff and members of the Solar Energy Research Committee.

The project was developed as a result of Village Council identifying as one of its strategic goals the promotion of a green and energy efficient community that is resilient to climate change. The 8.1 – kilowatt solar panel array, which is also the Village’s first ever clean energy project, is located on the roof of the New Maryland Centre and will result in operational savings for the Village of New Maryland and contribute to the vitally important objective of moving toward more sustainable sources of energy for Village operations. The project contractor, Epic Energy Inc., proposed the installation of solar modules produced by Canadian manufacturer Heliene Inc. of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Enphase microinverter components manufactured at the Flextronics Canada facility in Newmarket, Ontario.  Epic Energy is based in Tracey, New Brunswick.

This project came to fruition through an important funding partnership between the Village of New Maryland and the Government of Canada under the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. The financial contribution of $15,050 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) via the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program was instrumental in the Village achieving such valued improvements to the New Maryland Centre, and implementing its vision of using cleaner and greener sources of energy for its municipal operations. Special thanks to D.A. Neville at ACOA, who coordinated the important funding partnership for this project.

The Mayor and Village Council is extremely grateful for the opportunity to partner with ACOA in funding such an exciting and innovative project. Mayor and Council also extends their gratitude to: the members of the Solar Energy Research Ad hoc Committee, who researched and provided a recommendation to Council on the feasibility of the project; Andrew McLeod, CEO with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (APEGNB) who offered input and guidance to the committee; Jean-Pierre Ouellette with the Metering & Renewable Energy Department at NB Power who provided technical and procedural direction; collaborators Richard Knappe and Rudi Fowler of Epic Energy; and Steve McLaggan of Ace Engineering who assisted with the structural review and design elements.

A video of the new solar panel array at the New Maryland Centre can be found on Epic Energy Solutions’ Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/epicenergysolutionscanada/videos/673982326126124/

 

Real-time solar energy production data can be viewed at:

https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/aAtX1300453/overview

 

 

 On Saturday, October 21^st, 2017 Village Council hosted a Canada 150 – Tree Canada Ceremony.  The Village of New Maryland is pleased to be a successful recipient of a Canada 150 grant from Tree Canada, “Tree to Our Nature, Canada 150 Legacy Program”. The Village would like to acknowledge the Government of Canada’s support of this project and recognize CN (Canadian National), a partner of Tree Canada, who has generously agreed to completely cover the cost of our commemorative plaque.

The Village would also like to thank Tree Canada for their dedication to pursuing a greener and healthier living environment for Canadians. In addition, the Village also want to extend a huge thank you to the First New Maryland Girl Guides and First New Maryland Boy Scouts who assisted in planting the trees and to MW Price & Sons who graciously donated the boulder for mounting the plaque.

The grant funds were used to purchase trees to beautify the recently constructed Centennial Gardens Attenuation Pond. The project included planting groups of White Spruce, Balsam Fir (New Brunswick’s Arboreal Emblem), Red Maple (Canada’s Arboreal Emblem) and White Birch, which is used by local First Nation peoples.

There are many benefits from planting the trees – they add to the aesthetics of the pond, they will provide a diverse natural barrier in reducing the effects of blowing snow common to this area of the New Maryland Highway, and they will help clean the air, provide oxygen and combat climate change.

Taking part in the Ceremony was Joe-Anne Linton, on behalf of MP Matt DeCourcey, Nairn Hay, representing Tree Canada, First New Maryland Girls Guides and Boy Scouts as well as members of New Maryland Council.

We are honored to be selected for the Canada 150 – Tree Canada Program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year we celebrate the 150^th anniversary of Confederation and the birth of our nation. The Village of New Maryland submitted a proposal to the Program for municipal development to commemorate Canada 150. We are pleased to announce the Village has been granted financial assistance on this project.

 The project consists of installing 13 solar-powered light poles along our New Maryland Highway sidewalk, which runs through the Village from Atkinson Lane to Sunrise Estates Drive. The light poles will have banner arms to allow the display of banners to commemorate events throughout the year.

In addition to the existing planters and benches, 5 more flower planters and 3 more park benches will be installed to enhance and beautify our central core and provide a place to rest.

The project will be completed in early 2018.

 

 

 

 

As part of a five-year plan, the Village of New Maryland in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure made improvements to Route 101 between Baker Brook and MacIntosh Drive. The project consists of concrete curb repair, manhole structure repair and adjustment, road crossing repair (frost heaves), cold milling, asphalt paving, shoulder repair and pavement markings. DTI partnered with the Village on this project with the Village’s contribution to the project being 15%.

 

 

 

 

 

The project consists of replacing the existing 750mm culvert near the entrance to Sunrise Estates Drive with two 900mm diameter concrete culverts and related site restoration. This culvert replacement requirement was identified during the Village’s recent Stormwater Study. The new twin culverts were upgraded to meet the Village’s Stormwater Management Policy for 1 in 100 year plus 20% storm events.

 

The scope of work for this project included the installation of a 1.8-meter-wide sidewalk with a 2.0-meter boulevard along the east side of Carlough Street and the north side of MacIntosh Drive. A 2.0-meter-wide sidewalk will be installed along the north side of Cortland Street from Carlough Street to MacIntosh Drive. In addition to the sidewalk installations, approximately 60 meters of MacIntosh Drive was realigned in the proximity of civic 36 MacIntosh Drive.

 

The Village of New Maryland Recreation & Leisure Services Department is replacing the two aging pieces of equipment at Orchard Park with one new structure that will offer play events for ages 18 months—12 years.

The playground equipment is currently being dismantled and the new structure will be installed starting next week.  We are very pleased to continue on the path of proactively updating our playground equipment over the next few years.

For more information, please contact Michelle in the Recreation & Leisure Services Department at 458-6094 or feel free to send her an e-mail, michelle.sawler@vonm.ca.

July 7 – The Centennial Park Playground Upgrade is now complete and the park has re-opened. The play structure has activities for kids ages ranging from 18 months to 12 years. The spring toy is for ages 2 and up.

The Centennial Park playground is getting a makeover! A new Little Tikes commercial play structure will replace the current metal one and work will begin late June. The new structure will have nine separate “play events” and has activities for children between the ages of 2 and 12. A new spring toy will also be installed. For more information, feel free to contact Michelle in the Recreation Department.

NEW MARYLAND, NB – JUNE 29, 2015 – New Maryland Mayor Judy Wilson-Shee and the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, were on-site with Municipal officials and members of the New Maryland Soccer Association to officially open the New Maryland Athletic Park Soccer Field.

“After waiting patiently for the past year for our new soccer field to mature we are pleased to announce the grand opening” stated Mayor Wilson-Shee. “We are excited to be able to offer a regulation size and safe playing field to the growing number of soccer members in our community. The infrastructure improvements to the New Maryland Athletic Park Soccer Field has provided a quality recreational area that will be enjoyed by our youth for many years to come”.

The re-development of the Athletic Park Soccer Field included improvements to the playing surface, the installation of a storm water drainage and attenuation system, and the construction of an access road and driveway, as well as related topographic survey and geotechnical investigation. In addition, perimeter fencing, bleachers, and nets were installed. These improvements will increase the safety of players at the field as well as encourage physical activity and participation.

“Our Government is committed to improving the quality of life for Canadian families, developing prosperous communities and modernizing community infrastructure,” said MP Ashfield, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Regional Minister for New Brunswick and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency). The revitalization of the New Maryland Athletic Park Soccer Field means improved accessibility, increased safety and more opportunities for people to come out and participate in sports, recreation and community events. This quality recreational facility will benefit the community and surrounding areas for many years to come.”

“The addition of this new field in Athletic Park allows the soccer program in New Maryland to be centralized in one location” noted New Maryland Soccer Association President Mike Pope. “The majority of our micro kids were playing soccer at a park that was not designed for that purpose. Adding this field to the recreation hub of New Maryland will build on the spirit of this community and will give our kids the chance to play this great game in a place where it is supposed to be played.”

The total cost of the project was $500,400. The Government of Canada, through ACOA, approved a contribution of $203,000 under the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF) toward this project while the Village of New Maryland contributed $297,400.

The Village of New Maryland held a public consultation meeting in September 2011 on the redevelopment of the “Forbes Property”, located at 208-210 New Maryland Highway.

You can click here to view the five proposals, as well as the presentation that was given.

One of the largest projects that the Village is currently working on is the Water Tower Project.  The official title of this project is the “Building Canada Fund-Communities Component, Proposed Water Supply System Upgrades”. In April 2009 we received approval for funding through the Infrastructure Program. The total cost of the project is $4.6 million dollars and each level of government (municipal, provincial and federal) will contribute 1/3 of the funds.

The project includes specific and significant infrastructure upgrades and modifications to improve various supply, storage and distribution components of the municipal water system. The proposed upgrades and modifications are aimed at enhancing system reliability, flexibility and expandability, increasing water storage capacity, and improving the interconnection between adjacent neighborhood water systems.

The project consists of nine sub-projects or activities listed below:

1. Well Pump/Controls Replacement;

2. Interconnecting Water Main;

3. Elevated Water Reservoir (water tower);

4. Decommission Reservoir/Booster Station;

5. SCADA;

6. In-line Blending System;

7. Water/Sewer Installation;

8. Decommission Waste Stabilization Pond;

9. Hydrants.

It is important to note that the completion of the project will improve the storage capacity of our system, however it does not provide an additional water supply source. The Village is concurrently involved in an extensive wellfield exploration project.

To date we have issued three tenders for the water tower project. Contract One was for the installation of ten hydrants and two gate valves. This is only a small portion of the number of hydrants that will be installed for the project. These hydrants were installed in conjunction with the 2009 Street Improvement Program and the remainder of the hydrants will be installed in 2010. You may have noted that the hydrants in the Village are currently painted black. This is to indicate that they are operational for flushing the utility lines only, and not for firefighting capabilities. The new storage tower will provide us with the necessary capacity for firefighting capabilities and once on-line, all of the hydrants in the Village will be painted red to indicate their operational status. The work detailed in Contract One has been completed.

Contract Two is for the elevated water storage reservoir, or water tower. The reservoir represents the cornerstone component of the project. The tower is located to the west of the New Maryland Elementary School, at the end of Sprucewood Drive. The storage capacity of 460,000 gallons will be capable of satisfying peak water demands, fire-fighting flows and emergency water uses for an equivalent service population totaling approximately 3600 people. This contract was issued in September of 2009 and the tower is currently under construction. We will continue to add photos to the website to keep our residents apprised of the status of the construction.

Contract Three was issued in August 2009 for the Interconnecting Water Mains and Access Roadway. This component will create the access roadway and will replace and upgrade key piping sections that hydraulically limit the water delivery to the water distribution network piping and the proposed elevated water storage reservoir. This upgrade will ensure adequate flow capacities from the water supply wells are achieved and maintained, and that the pumping energy needed to deliver water to the elevated reservoir is minimized.

The remainder of the tenders will be issued in early 2010 and we hope to have the new system operational by November 2010. We will provide status reports and updates as contracts are issued throughout the project.