{"id":61538,"date":"2019-02-01T06:02:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T11:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=61538"},"modified":"2019-02-01T08:56:56","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T13:56:56","slug":"roads-sidewalks-and-maybe-a-splash-pad-part-of-operations-committee-priorities-for-this-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/roads-sidewalks-and-maybe-a-splash-pad-part-of-operations-committee-priorities-for-this-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Roads, sidewalks, and maybe a splash pad part of Operations Committee priorities for this term"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Huntsville’s committees of council met for the first time this month under a new structure for the 2018-2022 term. Among them is the Operations and Protective Services Committee, which reviewed its mandate during its first meeting on January 29. Present were committee chair, Councillor Brian Thompson, councillors Nancy Alcock, Dan Armour, Jason FitzGerald and Tim Withey, and Director of Operations and Protective Services, Steve Hernen.<\/p>\n

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Thompson’s request for input from committee members on their mandate, which outlines priorities and provides direction for the coming term, sparked discussion about roads and sidewalks, two topics that councillors regularly hear about from their constituents.<\/p>\n

Councillor Nancy Alcock took exception to the wording of one item in the mandate that called for the committee to “Pursue the elimination of District Road Department \u2013 downloading roads to the local level.” She was concerned that it was too definitive and limiting.<\/p>\n

Thompson noted that at the District level, they’ve identified some roads that would be beneficial for them to download to the Town, although that’s still under discussion. And Councillor FitzGerald added that they should look for “efficiencies and do it more cost-effectively or increase the level of service.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Councillors decided to update that item in the mandate to read, “Pursue downloading District roads to the local level as determined to be mutually viable.”<\/p>\n

Also related to roads, Hernen provided an overview of the rationale for continuing annual increases to the capital budget for roads until the annual capital spending reaches $4,500,000 per year. In the previous term of council, that budget was increased each year to get to an approximately $3.5 million annual spend by the final year of the term.<\/p>\n

“(The previous plan) didn\u2019t include streetlights, it didn\u2019t include your storm sewer, it didn\u2019t include sidewalks,” said Hernen. “So when we look at the overall plan, we feel a $4.5 million a year capital spend on the road network would put us in a good position moving forward… Could we spend $60 million on roads? We certainly could but the (construction) season\u2019s just not long enough and what\u2019s sustainable for the taxpayer as well?”<\/span><\/p>\n

But Councillor Withey questioned that number. “I guess I understand that you worked out this number, but the problem I have is what can we afford? Yeah, you might have a list saying we need $4.5 million a year, but you can\u2019t raise taxes to get that money, we\u2019re going to be taking from other departments with just as legitimate needs. There\u2019s not a bottomless pit of taxpayer\u2019s money out there\u2026 Maybe we have to look at more creative ways to get things done rather than just hitting a target that is a million dollars higher than the last term of council.”<\/p>\n

Withey added that he’s heard from constituents that increasing costs are making Huntsville an unaffordable place to live. “We can have the nicest roads in the world but nobody moving here because they can\u2019t afford it.”<\/p>\n

Councillor Amour countered that four years ago, at the beginning of the previous term of council “one of the main concerns we heard from constituents was infrastructure. We have been trying to increase annually\u2026 I believe (the increase) will meet our needs in four years to maintain infrastructure and make the town welcoming to people instead of potholes.”<\/p>\n

Sidewalks are also a topic councillors hear about frequently. Thompson said that Muskoka Road 3 North is “the only major artery out of town that doesn\u2019t have a sidewalk\u2026 We have a public school up there, we have an incredibly increased population (with new subdivisions).”<\/p>\n

Withey added that the lack of a sidewalk along Highway 60 between the Glenwood subdivision and Muskoka Road 3 is also a safety issue. “I drive that daily and there\u2019s always people walking along Highway 60\u2026I don\u2019t know why there hasn\u2019t been somebody killed there, especially this time of year.”<\/p>\n

Town staff have been working on an overall inventory and assessment of sidewalks, said Hernen, to find areas where there are gaps in the sidewalk system and where existing sidewalks are deteriorating. “We\u2019re finding all sorts of spots around town where we\u2019ve got issues like that. So we\u2019re sort of designing the ideal sidewalk system in the town. And then we\u2019re overlaying what we have and that will identify where the missing links are. And then we\u2019ll have to set priorities.”<\/p>\n

The other items listed in the Operations and Protective Services Committee’s mandate for this term of council, as presented at the meeting, are noted below and will provide direction and a foundation for their work in the years to come.<\/p>\n

Roads & Bridges<\/p>\n