Regional Asset Management System Announced for Burin Peninsula

Five towns on the Burin Peninsula will be better able to ensure accurate information about their municipal infrastructure through a new regional asset management system. The Honourable Dave Denine, Minister of Municipal Affairs, was in Marystown today to officially announce that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has approved funding in the amount of $309,700 to develop and implement a pilot regional asset management system for the towns of Marystown, Burin, Fortune, Grand Bank, and St. Lawrence.

The system will provide significant assistance to managers of municipal infrastructure who must make technical decisions regarding when and how to maintain, repair or replace their assets. In many cases, the information they have available to them about their existing assets is old, faded, water-stained paper plans or someone�s memory of the infrastructure system. The desktop asset management system is called InfoTOWN� and it will provide the partnering towns with a system that captures their infrastructure information, such as the location and details of water and sewer systems. InfoTOWN� will increase the knowledge base of existing infrastructure and provide strategies to better maintain and operate these systems.

�Municipalities have significant infrastructure assets to maintain, such as complex underground water and sewer networks, buildings, road systems, parks and other equipment to maintain,� said Minister Denine. �The fact is that in many small communities, information about these intricate infrastructure systems is very scarce, which makes preventive maintenance and land use planning challenging. This project takes an innovative approach to municipal asset management. The end result will be enhanced municipal services for residents.�

InfoTOWN� was developed by a Burin Peninsula-based engineering firm, Edwards & Associates Ltd., a sister company of Information Brokerage Limited (IBL). The software will significantly enhance the capability of municipalities in the region to manage accurate and current information on local infrastructure and strategically plan for future infrastructure investment.

The towns of Marystown, Burin, Fortune, Grand Bank, and St. Lawrence joined together to bring this initiative to reality.

�I applaud the communities for taking a regional approach with this initiative,� said Minister Denine. �Co-operation among municipalities results in sharing of resources and economies of scale. It is my hope, and the hope of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, that we see more examples of this type of successful municipal partnering in the future.�

Sam Synard, Mayor of the Town of Marystown, accepted the province�s funding commitment letter on behalf of the five participating towns.

�On behalf of the five partnering towns, I want to thank Minister Denine and his colleagues for supporting this initiative,� said Mayor Synard. �We are pleased to pilot this project here on the Burin Peninsula and we feel confident that it will become a tool that all municipalities in our province will use in the near future. In today�s world, fast retrieval of accurate information is the cornerstone of effective decision-making. The regional asset management system will assist us in improving our decision-making process.�

Area MHAs the Honourable Clyde Jackman, MHA for Burin-Placentia West, and Darin King, MHA for Grand Bank, also joined Minister Denine in today's announcement.

�I am pleased to see government�s support of InfoTOWN�, a locally-designed asset management system,� said Minister Jackman. �This is just one of many initiatives taking place that showcase how well the regional approach is working on the Burin Peninsula.�

�This project will be of tremendous benefit to the participating municipalities and is a great reflection of what can be achieved when we work together as a region on the Burin Peninsula,� said Mr. King. �It will significantly improve the municipalities� ability to manage the acquisition and maintenance of their assets, and thereby improve the services available to residents. I thank the minister for his support of this project.�

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Media contact:
Jennifer Collingwood
Director of Communications
Department of Municipal Affairs
709-729-1983, 690-2498
JenniferCollingwood@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Asset management is a process of using geographic information systems (GIS) to record accurate and current infrastructure inventory data; assessing its physical condition; and, setting priorities for project planning and funding.

An Asset Management System is an evidence-based infrastructure repair and rehabilitation decision-making tool. It increases the knowledge base of existing infrastructure and provides strategies to maximize usage.

The municipalities involved will see many benefits through the Asset Management System:

• Accessibility:
  24/7 secure, ongoing access to manage development applications, zoning, water and sewer systems, inventory, preventive maintenance schedules, etc.
   
• Increased longevity of assets:
  The system will permit proactive preventive maintenance scheduling thereby increasing the longevity of assets.
   
• Enhanced maintenance and controls:
  Maintenance activities will be cross-referenced to individual assets through the assignment of unique identifiers. Municipalities will be able to view historic data by feature type, by unique identifier or by graphic extent. Comparisons between continued maintenance versus replacement costs will be presentable for user analysis. Mapping of infrastructure against land use zones etc. will help maximize usage throughout the life cycle. The system will also provide complete audit trails of preventive maintenance activities. Review of historic data will enable users to realize repair patterns that may be projected on to a life cycle analysis of similar entities. The maintenance module will be tied to an inventory control system, which will be adjusted each time an item leaves or enters the inventory. Having location-based information will enable the municipalities to uncover assets without the need for additional tear up, etc.
   
• Cost effectiveness:
  The project utilizes a regional co-operation approach to municipal asset management. Typical cost to build a web-enabled municipal information management system would be in the order of $150,000 per town. However, in this case, the cost is spread over five towns.
   
• Innovative, user-friendly and efficient:
  Innovative tools will be employed to enable towns or their consultants to update infrastructure maps through standard Internet browsers, without the need for any additional software. Towns will be able to generate geo-referenced work orders that will show the location of the asset being worked on and the list of maintenance activities to perform. Linked information such as warranty period expirations, manufacturer contact information etc. will all help increase the longevity of municipal assets.
   
• Allows for more efficient land use planning
  Clear and unambiguous presentation of land use maps and zoning regulations will permit orderly development within towns. This information, coupled with knowledge of the location and capacity of existing infrastructure, will assist in the definition of industrial parks, playgrounds, green areas, walking trails, etc.
   
• Environmentally friendly
  Locational information will reduce the negative environmental impact of exploratory digs looking for valves, etc.