Duane Hicks
The repaving of Central Avenue is supposed to go ahead this Thursday and Friday, but whether it happens will depend on, well, the weather.
“The weather doesn’t look good,” Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown told council last night, adding that in order to get the paving in, Pioneer Contracting must have a temperature of seven C and rising.
“Pioneer was geared to come on Thursday and Friday, but it doesn’t look good,” he conceded. “They’ll probably be here the following week.
“So it’s playing it by ear.”
Brown also noted another part of Central Avenue was paved on Hallowe’en a couple of years ago, and that he’s hopeful there’s still a few warmer days left before winter sets in.
The new parking lot at the library site also will be done whenever Pioneer Contracting can come in and pave Central Avenue.
Regarding other projects, Brown said the biomass roads project is close to being completed. The paving was finished last month and the line painting is done, and crews have wrapped up laying all the sod.
He added a deficiency list has been compiled and one of the outstanding items is the sidewalk brick work along Portage Avenue. But Brown said the contractor brought in four more labourers on Monday and will try to get all the bricks back in by this Friday.
As for the underpass, Brown said some landscaping has been done on the southeast quadrant, and that the town is working through the CN approval process for a new forced main and pumphouse, which will be done next year.
In related news, Community Services manager George Bell said the waterfront projects are closer to completion.
The lookout tower work is nearly complete, with the majority of the railing having been installed.
Playground equipment at that site also has arrived, and likely will be installed this week or next.
The “Hallett” continues to be refurbished and receive minor repairs. The handrail still needs to be installed there.
Banners have been ordered, and the town has received permission from the Fort Frances Power Corp. to mount 3’x8’ banners on hydro poles on Front Street, Mowat Avenue, Victoria Avenue, and Colonization Road East.
Meanwhile, Bell said all of the structural steel is up for the new library, and he is expecting the glue lam trusses to arrive and be put up this week.
Crews currently are putting up the decking for the roof joists.
Also at last night’s meeting, which was delayed a day due to the Thanksgiving holiday, council approved a revised cell phone policy, in accordance with Bill 118, whereby all town employees will pull over a vehicle and stop it safely before placing, returning, or answering calls or messages via voice or text.
As well, council adopted a resolution stating the town supports some form of community-based input into Sustainable Forest Licenses to help ensure that economic benefits are realized through the consideration of local forestry operations and their workers, and that an auction format for wood harvesting only is established in areas where surplus fibre is available.
The resolution also states any process implemented considers the redirection of stumpage revenues from the consolidated revenue stream to a local trust for community-based economic stimulus.
Council also heard a presentation from OPP Cst. Anne McCoy on the Photo Voice 2009 project (first detailed in the May 20, 2009 edition of the Times), as well as an update on the McIrvine Road/King’s Highway Corridor pilot project.
Cst. McCoy said support of the project, first detailed in the Sept. 16, 2009 edition of the Times, is growing and urged council consider the project in its 2010 budget, including the hiring of a crossing guard at King’s Highway and Keating Avenue.
