Council was presented with three options for streetscape design finishes for Huntsville’s Main Street as part of the road construction project next spring—each with a different price tag.
The presentation was made by EXP engineering, architecture and design consultants Les Ranta and Sally Wang, who were accompanied at Huntsville Council’s Feb. 24 meeting by Mark Driscoll from the District of Muskoka.
The Main Street streetscape redesign is part of a larger road construction project being undertaken by the District of Muskoka in partnership with the Town of Huntsville in order to rebuild underground water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure, reconstruct the roadway, and conduct minor maintenance on the swing bridge, while enhancing the downtown streetscape at a cost to be borne by the Town.
Work on Huntsville’s Main Street is scheduled to begin in the early spring of 2021.
The options presented to council included the type of paving materials to be used for roadways and vehicle parking areas as well as sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian amenity areas.
The streetscape redesign would start at the swing bridge and run westward to Lorne Street. It encompasses Main Street and any of the adjacent feeder streets and pedestrian areas forming part of downtown Main Street, according to Ranta. He also said additional considerations in the options presented include Kent Park, a Lorne Street gateway, the King Street pedestrian walkway, and civic square.
‘Muskoka Moments’ elements would be included in a redesign of Main Street.
Flex parking is being proposed as part of the streetscape redesign which would allow parking, and also the reconfiguration of the parking spaces for storefront and pedestrian use. Other prominent features involve what’s being referred to as ‘Muskoka Moments’, which would feature places where people can sit, perhaps enjoy some greenery indigenous to the area, and features such as Muskoka chairs and awnings.
Ranta and Wang presented a general overview of the options, with option one being a standard asphalt road surface and concrete sidewalks, painted lines at the pedestrian crosswalk in front of civic square, a modified Muskoka feature at the Lorne Street gateway, and concrete pavers at Kent Park. That option would be the most economical at $2 million.
Option two would include printed asphalt for the pedestrian crossing across from civic square and imprinted or patterned concrete pavers at civic square.
A second option was presented at $3 million which would include more ‘Muskoka Moments’ amenities and some trees, crosswalks would be upgraded from painted lines to imprinted asphalt, Kent Park would have concrete pavers and a kiosk, the Lorne Street gateway would be more enhanced, and the King Street pedestrian walkway and civic square would include patterned concrete pavers, among some of the changes.
A third option was presented at $4.8 million which would feature a significant Lorne Street gateway, ‘Muskoka Moments’ surfaces would be made of concrete pavers, granite pavers would be used for the King Street pedestrian walkway and civic square, Kent Park would include a water feature, and trees with soil cells underneath would line the street beside the flex parking spaces.
The most expensive third option would include trees along Main Street with soil cells underneath to maintain them.
Ranta also noted that council could choose a hybrid design, pulling specific features from each one of the options.
Councillor Tim Withey asked that a cost break down be included for the various features presented in order to make it easier to pick and choose. He also said he’d like to see more crosswalks along Main Street, possibly by Pharmasave. “We get people just running across the street at all places, all the time, so I like the feature in front of Town Hall but I think we can use a couple more of those,” he said.
Trees were of particular importance for Councillor Bob Stone. “So here is what happens with these projects all the time. It starts off gorgeous, everybody wants it, and we end up having something wholly mediocre because of budget. This is the showpiece for our town. This is our face to the public, so I feel we need to do it right. Don’t kill the finances in order to do it but … it is the most important thing in our town when people come to visit and this is what they see. So we need to do it right,” he said. Stone added that soil cells in order to “get large, full-grown trees is imperative. That is what Muskoka is all about so if we can’t have the big trees, like the old town feel, then that’s a real problem for me.”
He asked if savings could be realized by foregoing the granite features suggested and asked what the difference in price would be.
Wang said the difference between granite and concrete pavers would be about 50 per cent more for imported granite and about three to four times more for pavers containing local granite.
Councillor Nancy Alcock echoed some of Stone’s comments. “This is a showcase for us… I don’t really want to nickel and dime it because it is going to be a showcase,” she said, adding that she’d like to see the space as pedestrian-oriented as possible. She dismissed option one referring to it as “mediocre” but said she’d be okay without a “big, flashy entrance into the town, not a big one for me, so that’s like a whole lot of money [saved], easy.”
Councillor Jonathan Wiebe was particularly concerned with the functionality of Kent Park. “I think seating is important, being able to just linger in our downtown I think is really important, because right now that space does the opposite, it kind of chases you along versus making it a social space that’s designed for everyone.”
A public information session on the streetscape options will be held on March 3, 2020, at Partners Hall between 6 and 7:30 p.m. with a formal presentation taking place at 6:15 p.m. Public comments will also be received online from March 4 to 16 at engagemuskoka.ca in order to help the consultants put together a preferred design option.
You can find more information about the downtown streetscape project here.
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The Town of Huntsville needs to stop pretending that they don’t have a parking shortage because effective immediately, the old LCBO parking lot will no longer be accommodating it’s parking needs, paid for or otherwise. No amount of money can compensate for the verbal abuse that both my staff and I have repeatedly been subjected to and we will no longer put ourselves in harms way in order to accommodate your needs.
I would like to see a water fountain in front of the town hall like there was for years long ago. It was a horse watering place then but Bracebridge has one and it looks great i think. Dog watering place would go over well i t hink.
I’d note to “keep things practical”. For example, we get snow so try to keep as many things away from the curb as is possible. Placement along the building edge maybe?
Trees are nice in all seasons but will not survive well unless protected from damage by snow removal etc. The only thing that I have seen that actually works for trees like this is to put a bit of a raised protective planter around them. A concrete or heavy wood construction that maybe can serve as a seat but primarily protects the tree. You are asking an awful lot of any tree that is just dropped into a sidewalk to remain healthy. It is not a good environment for any tree and it will take a lot of care and effort from maintenance workers to try to help such trees survive.
As for the fancy rocks and paving stones… I don’t know about you but I don’t go anywhere to look at paving stones and if it is rock I want I don’t need to import the stuff to Muskoka.
Remember all this stuff looks great in a presentation but when you have to clean, maintain and remove snow from around it the feature takes on a cost, an ongoing and forever cost to maintain it. A poorly maintained feature is worse than no feature as it conveys the idea that nobody cares.
How about a proper crosswalk at the Royal Bank, you know…. the totally unmarked in any way but sort of de-facto cross walk that everybody uses.
I like the idea of picking and choosing from all 3 options to create a consensus option. Perhaps the main features could be listed on the Town website and the taxpayers could have their say. The results could be a guide for the Councillors as they make their final decision.
Two questions:
1) what happened to the porous asphalt that was always a feature?; and
2) are sidewalks on District roads not a responsibility of the District?
This is a wonderful opportunity to do something exceptional for our town, to put us ahead in the competitive race to attract tourists and new residents to come to Huntsville. If it seems to cost more than we would like it too my vote is to do it right , the money will come back to us.
The only visual info that I have seen is what you have here in the Doppler and I must say it is strikingly underwhelming….is this all they have come up with? The artist renderings from the earlier design team were hugely more interesting, why aren’t we using their expertise for this project?
Make it beautiful or don’t do it at all. I love option 3 despite the hefty price. I don’t mind my tax dollars going towards it as I would also enjoy it as a “local”. HOWEVER please add a splashpad for kids somewhere in town. Its time Huntsville becomes more family friendly.
Good point Rudi…And you are someone that would know.
Local = lower carbon footprint.
Gotta’ change the para-dime from, always the lowest bidder, to what makes sense and not bust the bank.
Agree’d with Rich, don’t skimp, but at the same time don’t mortgage the kids to pay for it.
I appreciated the point of being sure it’s pedestrian friendly. … We need to get our heads out of ‘the car is king’ and must accommodate it at the expense of Pedestrians and Bicycles.
Time is long past for a para-dime shift from individualism to being a community.
Yes, those living out of town, etc. need to drive into town and park. So, after parking the GHG emitter, get out and walk, bike… enjoy the community.
The shopping area’s on the edges of town need to be jealous of the downtown; to become a place to get your stuff and leave … Head downtown where the action is.
Thanks to everyone for your hard work and consideration. !!
It would be ironic to import granite from….Brazil? Pakistan? albeit at a somewhat lower cost for what is probably a relatively small area, when there is unlimited granite in a variety of colours available just down the highway in any direction.
Make this easy for the average taxpayer to understand when it comes to costs of any project. If it’s 3 million what would the cost per year for the tax payer based on 100,000.00 accessed value of there property and if it’s 6 million for the project calculate that. I upped the costs because generally costs escalate. We only get one chance at this and my point is the difference in price is or should be pretty much a none issue. Bob clarke
I agree with Counsellors Bob Stone and Nancy Alcock. The downtown core is what people come to engage with our town, not o my visitors but locals as well. Having a safe and inviting environment will encourage this. Having a beautiful outdoor venue that stretches many town blocks will make our open air events more vibrant and more successful. It will make our sporting events that utilize the downtown more inspiring for those participating and those cheering the athletes on.
This is our showcase. So if there is a place to go “all in” then this is it. At the end of the day, the downtown merchants will have more engaged consumers. The hotels will have more heads in beds. Our community residents will be more proud of the heart of our town.
All around it is a win win.
Don’t skimp on this please.