Coun. Doug Laing at Battleford council Monday. Battleford council is considering various options for downtown sidewalk replacement. (File photo/Angela Brown) : Angela Brown

By Angela Brown

Downtown upgrades

Council eyes downtown sidewalk replacement options

Mar 5, 2019 | 12:00 PM

The Town of Battleford received an update on some options to consider for replacing its downtown sidewalks in need of upgrades.

Administration presented some proposals to council at Monday’s meeting. The main issue for council is to ensure the replacement new sidewalk will be made of good quality material while at the same time keeping in mind it needs to meet the town’s budget for the project.

Administration identified the 22 Street sidewalk up to the 100 block for replacement in 2019 based on the town’s plan.

CAO John Enns-Wind said in his report the sidewalk is “in poor condition and a liability” in its current state.

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He said the town is looking at perhaps using an asphalt overlay for the project since the cost of concrete is prohibitive. The rough total for the asphalt overlay would be about $26,000.

“When you look at it from a pure cost perspective asphalt goes a lot further than concrete, but when it comes to your town aesthetic … concrete provides a different feel,” said Enns-Wind, weighing the pros and cons of the options.

While administration noted using asphalt wasn’t its preferred option, making this choice would help reduce the cost to cover the three-metre width of the sidewalk.

When questioned by council, administration indicated for the asphalt application, the asphalt would actually just be put down as an overlay on top of the existing concrete material that’s already there.

In comparison, if the town installed a concrete sidewalk for the replacement the cost would be about $200,000. However, if it reduced the width of the sidewalk to about two metres, it could bring the cost down significantly less, at about $140,000.

Another option is to remove the sidewalk and replace it with grass, but administration deemed this prospect would be dangerous to pedestrians accessing it.

Enns-Wind said the work on the sidewalk replacement project needs to be done this year.

The town has budgeted $50,000 for 2019 to repair the 22 Street sidewalk up to 100 block, as well as for other projects as the funding permits.

The town has also budgeted $50,000, carried over from 2018 to create a new sidewalk on Second Avenue between 19 to 21 Streets.

The town also has future plans to link the section of sidewalk to the east end of 22 Street when it is completed, to the Fred Light Museum using a multi-purpose path.

The CAO indicated in his report the town requires capital funding to build a new sidewalk on Second Avenue from 19 to 21 Streets this year, at an estimated cost of $60,000.

Enns-Wind said the town still has to complete more planning for the project to extend the sidewalk through the town.

He said administration also doesn’t wish to make a significant investment on its sidewalks on 22 Street until a “consensus has been reached regarding revitalizing our downtown business sector.”

Council will need to discuss the proposed repairs at a future meeting before making its decision to direct administration on the sidewalk work.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow