UPDATE — June 21, 2:15 p.m.
Ward 11 Coun. Terry Kett said wants to see a plan of action put in place to get the Minnow Lake boardwalk fixed this summer.
On June 12, the Minnow Lake Community Action Network (CAN) passed a motion that gave the city an ultimatum: fix the boardwalk around Minnow Lake by the end of June, or the CAN will do it themselves and send the bill to the city.
However, the group has since changed their minds, leaving the matter in Kett's hands.
“As long as it's done this summer,” Kett said. “I feel frustrated with the process, and I can appreciate what the CAN is going through.”
John Lindsay, co-chair of the Minnow Lake CAN, said residents are “tired” of walking on a boardwalk which has needed repairs for about three years, and added there is potential for someone to get hurt.
“Three years is a long time to wait,” he said. “This is not like building a road or a house or something.”
However, Kevan Moxam, the city's manager of parks, said the project is on the city's radar and crews are expected to start work on the project by “the second week of July,” about two weeks after the CAN's deadline.
Moxam said crew crews have actually been working on the project for the past couple of years.
“We fixed the site a couple of times, but there was a problem with a storm drain that kept causing some concern on the property,” he said.
“It kept washing out part of the property, so (we) had to go in and make some necessary changes to the infrastructure.”
Moxam also said the process to fix the boardwalk is taking time, as the city first needs to obtain permits from the Department of Fisheries (DFO) and the Nickel District Conservation Authority (NDCA).
“We've applied for those permits and we're talking to them about getting permission to go in and do that work,” he said. “As soon as we get approval from them, we'll go in and get that done.”
Moxam said the city welcomes help volunteers who wish to assist with “fixing sites and making improvements,” as long as the group works with the city and makes sure proper permits are issued before work is done.
“If we have a group that wants to get involved to come and help us, we definitely would work with them to make the site a better spot,” he said.
Original Story:
Members of the Minnow Lake CAN (Community Action Network) say if the city doesn't step in and fix a three-year old project in their ward by the end of June, they will fix it themselves and send the repair bill to the city.
The CAN group passed a motion at their last group meeting June 12.
According to minutes from the meeting, the boardwalk on Bellevue and Bancroft Drive is damaged as a result of storm water to the parkette. It has not been fixed for three years “even though the city has been made aware of these potential hazardous areas several times each year.”
The CAN group states the boardwalk has “potential, if not actual safety hazards.”