International Peace Garden seeks matching funds for music camp upgrades, sewer work and two full‑time hires

During the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division meeting, a representative of the International Peace Garden outlined capital and operating requests tied to the site’s international music camp and broader campus sustainability.

Tim, a Peace Garden representative, told the committee the International Peace Garden seeks $1.5 million in one-time state funding that the province would match; with the province match already pledged at $1.0 million in the near term, the two sides would expect a combined project total of about $2.8 million. Tim said the request targets eight high‑use facilities used primarily for the international music camp—Burdick Center (performing arts theater), the Peterson Dining Hall, and six dormitories—and listed specific items such as building automation systems, water heaters, HVAC, bathroom plumbing, walk‑around concrete repairs, and replacement of a walk‑in cooler in the dining hall.

Tim described how the estimate was prepared: “We started with the class d estimates on the equipment itself and then added 35% to account for labor and travel for each of those projects,” and he said the garden’s finance administrator helped compile the itemized figures.

On matching funds, Tim told the committee that Manitoba had committed $1.0 million ahead of its fiscal year end; he said a meeting with Manitoba officials was scheduled to seek the remaining match dollars.

The garden also requested $1.0 million in one‑time funding for sewer work to be matched by the province. Tim said a preliminary engineering approach had identified options that could reduce reliance on lift stations by using existing lagoons and moving more flows to gravity. He proposed a roughly $100,000 engineering study to produce shovel‑ready plans and said “we do estimate that we would be able to complete this project within the biennium,” though Senator Thomas and others urged caution about cost uncertainty.

Tim asked for $400,000 in base operating increases ($200,000 per year) to fund two full‑time positions—a development manager and a facilities maintenance manager—and to increase wages for seasonal employees. He said the garden’s staffing levels “are roughly equivalent to what we had in 1992” despite increased responsibilities and noted both the remote location and the binational nature of operations complicate hiring.

Committee members asked about contractor sourcing and project timing. Tim said the garden solicits contractors on both sides of the border and often sources materials from either country to stretch budgets. The committee did not take final action on the Peace Garden requests and asked for additional detail and materials to be shared with members.

Ending

Representatives said additional documentation and a formal amendment for some items would be provided to the committee; members asked staff to circulate the garden’s detailed breakdown and the engineering estimate for the sewer project before further action.