The Town of Altona is looking to the federal and provincial governments to help fund a landfill expansion and upgrade. Council has submitted an application to the Small Communities Fund for the shared project with the Municipality of Rhineland.
    
Mayor Melvin Klassen says they're looking at bringing the class 2 facility up to a class 1, which is more expensive to operate.

"Because of the fact that every day we have to cover whatever has been brought in...with dirt or whatever. Also, we're going to have to have more personnel that are manning the landfill site."

He goes on to say that there is a sense of urgency to this project and it has become a top priority for Council.

"The cell we do have there, it's probably got one more year left and then it's going to be full. If we don't do something now then we're going to have to find a means of taking the garbage that's brought there, we're going to have to dispose of it somehow."

Klassen says this upgraded facility, which would include another cell and a compost site, would put the town in a good position for another twenty years or so.

He adds this project is shovel ready and they are just waiting to hear back on the status of the application.

If approved, the $1.4 million price tag would be split three ways. The Government of Canada and Government of Manitoba would each cover one-third while the Town of Altona and Municipality of Rhineland would split the final one-third.