Grants from the federal and provincial governments made up the majority of funding for two major capital projects undertaken in Courtenay during the course of the past two years.Courtenay council received a report summarizing the project cost and funding sources for the Cliffe Avenue widening and the Arden Trunk Sewer upgrade projects Monday.The City undertook major capital works to widen Cliffe Avenue, improve the 17th Street Bridge intersection and upgrade the underground water and storm sewer infrastructure while the road bed was open. As well, the City undertook a major upgrade of the Arden Road sewer trunk.In total, the combined cost of these works is close to $7 million, according to the report by financial services director Tillie Manthey."The capital costs of $7 million did not require new borrowing by the City and were funded only in part by property taxes and utility user fees," she wrote. "Major funding for these works was sourced from federal and provincial grant programs, resulting in only a minimum impact on property taxes."The Cliffe Avenue widening and associated water and storm sewer line upgrades cost a total of $4,882,872. The city received a federal/provincial infrastructure grant of $2,293,603, which covered 47 per cent of the cost, while funding also came from the City's development cost charge (DCC) reserves, the City land sale reserve, a federal Community Works Fund grant and an ICBC grant. Courtenay property owners contributed $73,817, or two per cent of the total cost.The total cost of the Arden sewer trunk upgrade was $2,112,995. A federal/provincial infrastructure grant of $1 million provided 47 per cent of the funding, while Courtenay property owners contributed $607,698, and the rest of the project costs came from DCC reserves and other contributions.Coun. Manno Theos thanked city staff for their hard work in securing funding for the projects through DCCs or government grants."It just goes to show doing capital projects have become very expensive games," he said. "These are two home runs that were hit by staff. This is a really big success story to see two major capital infrastructure projects in our community completed this past year."Coun. Jon Ambler pointed out that city councillors often receive complaints, but he's had a number of people say great things about the Cliffe Avenue widening and how it has improved the intersection at the 17th Street Bridge.writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com