INNISFAIL - Town council has given the green light to administration to test the stability of the pavement on a west-side close that alarmed neighbourhood residents five years ago with a worrisome sinkhole.
"Poke a couple of holes and let's see how serious it is," said Mayor Jim Romane. "I want the residents to rest assured that it is not going to cave in on them, and just see what level of deterioration is there. It is definitely there. We have to determine the urgency of it."
At council's regular meeting on July 9, Mark Kemball and close resident Patt Churchill, both former town councillors, made a presentation with the hope the longstanding problem on 53rd Avenue Close, which intersects with 50th Street, would get on the "radar" for town officials for inclusion on the municipality's capital plan to have the problem looked at, and then fixed some time in the not-too-distant future.
"Having driven there for the last 20 years it is progressively getting worse. I've heard the neighbours say, 'we can hardly wait until the garbage truck falls through.' I don't think it was compacted properly," said Kemball, who was speaking on behalf of his mother who lives on the close. He told council the situation has become a "nightmare" for the 13 homeowners who live on the two-decade-old close. "I know it's not well travelled, but I do think the people who do live in the close deserve a little bit better pavement than that."
Churchill said when the last house on the close was built in 2000 the pavement was level and in good condition. However, she said residents in recent years have noticed increasing dips and bumps on the pavement.
"Being that there has already been a sinkhole we are starting to get very concerned the erosion could come into our properties," said Churchill. "If they come to us and say, 'there is a base, it's good, it needs to be replaced,' that's fine. If they find it's critical I have total confidence they will put us on a priority list. I don't think they want to see the garbage truck disappear some day."
Kemball said he personally witnessed the sinkhole in the close in 2013. While the hole measured only about four inches wide, it was alarmingly deep and required extensive repairs, he said.
Council was told by Rod Fraser, director of operational services, the close was given a preliminary look on July 9, and that it will be tested with geotechnical investigative holes. If those tests determine reconstruction work is required, the close will be put on a priority list for the 2019 capital plan but likely behind other targeted projects.
Fraser said while he could not at this time give a definitive timeline for reconstruction he added it will "definitely" be "out a few years from now."
"They (other projects) may have a higher priority just because there are utilities involved, an older waterline and sometimes these have leakages," said Fraser. "Those are the ones that have high priority usually."
Both Churchill and Kemball left town hall satisfied both council and administration accepted their concerns seriously and were willing to probe the close's problematic issues.
"I just felt really good with the response. We didn't expect to come here tonight and have them fix the close this year or even next year," said Churchill. "All we wanted was for them to look and see what is underneath, if we are more alarmed than what we should be, or if there is a huge concern."
