Sidewalks were the hot-button item at the recent Eckville Town Council meeting.
Coun. Colleen Ebden asked Jack Ramsden, the chief administrative officer (CAO) for the Town, what was happening with the sidewalks along the east side of 52 Avenue.
Ebden noted she had seen the sidewalk wasn’t finished properly and questioned what was going to be done about it. Ramsden said there were two options to finish it. Ultimately Council chose to have the sidewalk go right to 48 Street.
The work along 52 Avenue began on June 13, the day after council met. The talk of sidewalks continued in a discussion of what will be done on the east side of 54 Avenue. Currently along the north side of the avenue, there are no existing sidewalks.
Ramsden suggested putting in a five foot walkway along the north side of street.
“It’s really nice to be able to walk next to someone on the sidewalk, and right now you can’t do that,” Ramsden said.
Work on 54 Avenue will also include installing new drains along the square-faced curb. When talking about sidewalks during the meeting, attention turned to the sidewalk along the north part of the high school - a section of sidewalk which is broken and uneven.
“I would like to rip up the liability of a sidewalk there,” said Ramsden.
There was a long discussion between the councillors and the CAO about creating an indentation along the sidewalk at an empty lot with a cement pad for a drive way. Council was concerned about having a drive way facing a highway.
“There is access to the property through the back alley,” Mayor Helen Posti argued.
Ramsden wanted to create a small indentation in the sidewalk, not a full dip, to accommodate the driveway. Ultimately he conceded to Council’s decision to have the property owners use the back alley.
Ramsden also suggested that Council continue the walking trail on 54 Avenue right through to 48 Street, saying “people really like the walking trails. Just the other day I had someone stop me to tell me that.”
Members of the Communities in Bloom committee would like to see more trees planted. One suggestion was to give out trees out to those who want to replace the trees along the boulevard.
“People like to landscape how they want, we can’t guarantee they will plant them where we want,” Coun. Sandra Hallgren said.
Coun. Scott Kinley suggested planting memorial trees.
Residents of Eckville would be able to get a tree in the memory of a loved one, and the tree could be planted where Council wanted.
“It could be along the walking trail or to create a perimeter around the park,” suggested Kinley.
No official decision was made, though Council did say Kinley’s suggestion was a good idea.