Duane Hicks
While Phase II of the Heritage Tourism Plan project is expected to go out to tender this winter, precisely where the “Hallett” will be located has become uncertain, with council referring the matter back to committee for further review and recommendation at its meeting Monday night.
The plans, which have been in the works for several years and even the subject of an open house in February, 2007 at the Fort Frances Museum, indicate the “Hallett” (currently located at Seven Oaks) will be move to the natural cove just west of the parking lot at the Sorting Gap Marina, with the Lookout Tower to be located on land to the east of the marina.
(The plans also include signage, interpretive panels, and other elements which would augment the town, and particularly the waterfront, as a heritage tourist destination).
But this location has become the subject of review after Front Street resident Bill Martin expressed concerns over the future location of the “Hallett” at the Oct. 27 council meeting, particularly the proximity of the proposed site to the exit from the wood yard and the safety of pedestrians on the south side of the street.
As well, both Mayor Roy Avis and Coun. John Albanese told the rest of council Monday night that they had been contacted by individual truckers and the local truckers’ association, who have told them they also have concerns about the possibility of trucks and log spills endangering pedestrians visiting the new exhibit on the waterfront.
“I would feel very comfortable before we move ahead with the process tonight that we contact them or have them come in,” said Mayor Avis, adding that although Abitibi was involved in the Heritage Tourism Plan steering committee, the truckers’ association was not.
“I think, for safety reasons, we should walk before we run . . . and take a look and see what the truckers’ association has to say,” he added.
Coun. Albanese said he’s in favour of the Heritage Tourism Plan project, but the truckers’ concerns must be heard at this time, especially if there’s going to be increased truck traffic along Front Street with the biomass boiler becoming operational next year.
As a follow-up to the Oct. 27 council meeting, Community Services manager George Bell reported Monday that the Community Services executive committee has recommended that they further review the location of the “Hallett” to determine the impact of possibly relocating it east of the Sorting Gap Marina and west of Minnie Avenue.
In the same report, Bell noted he had concerns that if the plans to move the “Hallett” were changed at this late date, there would be additional costs due to redesign fees and environmental assessments, and the relocation would affect the integrity of the overall goals of the project.
He also spoke with the consulting engineer to determine the impact of relocating the “Hallett,” and the engineer felt the current location was chosen because it is a natural cove and provides shelter from the current and ice flows in the river.
However, the engineer also felt the design of the “Hallett” would not handle the stresses occurring from ice in the river, and believes a break wall would have to be constructed to ensure its integrity.
Bell pointed out the Heritage Tourism Plan steering committee felt strongly that the overall goal of the project is to provide an authentic experience for visitors, and “locating the ‘Hallett’ in the river would provide the same context and atmosphere as you have experienced if you had been there at the time.”
The exhibit even will provide look-out glasses to recreate the Sorting Gap experience of the past.
Locating the “Hallett” in the river also is far less intrusive to the waterfront and the daily users and residents along Front Street, noted Bell, adding that locating a piece of property large enough to house the exhibit on shore, and be acceptable to Front Street residents, would be difficult.
Bell mentioned the steering committee “considered a number of sites but to provide the optimal experience for visitors, maintain pedestrian safety, ensure adequate monitoring, and best develop the Sorting Gap Marina site, the current location was chosen.”
Several councillors felt the location should not be changed.
“I’m not in favour of changing the plans at this late date,” said Coun. Andrew Hallikas. “This is a process that’s been going on for about two years—it’s followed the required protocol, there’s been a lot of chances for public input, there’s been public meetings, there’s been a steering committee set up that had citizens on it, and experts have been consulted.
“There’s a reason for the way it’s been laid out, and that reason is the vision that people in the community have for our waterfront, which is it’s destination, an extension of our heritage, and I think it’s laid out very, very nicely,” he remarked.
“To change it at this late date would two things: One, it would delay the project which, quite frankly, needs to go to fruition. We have the money in place, and we don’t want to sit on that money,” added Coun. Hallikas. “And secondly . . . it’s going to increase the expense.
“We’d have to get a new environmental assessment done, we’ve have to do new consultations, and get new drawings done. I just don’t see, quite frankly, any reason whatsoever that we would change our plans at this late date.”
Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft said he felt Martin’s concerns about pedestrian safety weren’t well-founded.
“Having driven by that location on my bike a hundred times every summer, I don’t concur with his assessment of the danger,” he said. “I think most people coming to the ‘Hallett’ will be coming down the walkway because they are parked in the parking lot. They will access the ‘Hallett’ from much further south.”
He added there has never been an accident, to his knowledge, with a truck exiting the wood yard onto Front Street. While he doesn’t anticipate there will be, and if there was, he questioned the likelihood of a large number of people gathering on the bike path to be harmed by a log spill.
“I just don’t buy into the argument that it’s a danger to locate the ‘Hallett’ there,” said Coun. Wiedenhoeft. “I sympathize with Mr. Martin’s position that it hampers his view of the waterfront, but I agree with Andy in that we can’t make a decision this late in the process that’s going to impact on delays and costs for one person’s inconvenience.
“I simply just don’t buy it.
“And I don’t know what the truckers’ concern would be. They certainly haven’t expressed a concern before,” he noted. “Why would parking the ‘Hallett’ on the riverfront impact on the truckers?”
