Due to what's being called an "internal communications issue," incorrect information about the scope of pending water main replacement work on 50 Street was released to the public two weeks ago.
Due to what's being called an "internal communications issue," incorrect information about the scope of pending water main replacement work on 50 Street was released to the public two weeks ago.
Larry Wright, the town's operational services director, said in mid-August only one lane of traffic on 50 Street between 50 and 51 avenues would be closed for the project and traffic would still be able to move back and forth in the unaffected lane.
On Aug. 28, however, Norm McInnis, the town's chief administrative officer, said when work begins on the project on Sept. 3, the entire stretch of roadway will be closed for roughly one month.
He said the communications snafu was the result of "conflicting messages" within town hall.
"That was a result of looking at this thing in different ways."
Except for periods when water connections from the main will be attached to businesses along the street and new concrete for the sidewalks is poured, sidewalks on 50 Street will remain open, McInnis said.
He added the town is trying to limit disruptions to businesses along the affected stretch of roadway as much as possible and signs will be posted on safety fences in the area to inform people that parking is available behind those businesses.
McInnis also said the town's contractor carrying out the construction work originally wanted to close the roadway down for the Labour Day weekend but the town would not allow that to happen.
Karen Strocher, owner of 360 Snow and Skate on 50 Street, said the closure of the street will ultimately hurt business for her and other shops and restaurants along the roadway because people won't be able to park in front of those businesses.
"Parking downtown is really tough," she said. "There's not enough parking spaces.
"It's definitely going to put some pressure on the downtown."
Strocher added she frequently finds vehicles parked behind her store that do not belong to her customers and she believes the road closure will make that situation worse.
"I don't like to police that. But if I have to give up spaces to people just wanting a place to park so they can go to other businesses or do their banking, then that's going to hurt."
And if people ultimately can't find parking in the area, they will choose to spend their money elsewhere, she said.
Since the store is coming into its busy "bread and butter" fall season where people are shopping for back to school, snowboarding and outerwear items, Strocher said she hopes the town can finish the construction work in three weeks or sooner so business can go back to normal.
"If we don't have a good winter, that's the only thing that keeps us going in a year."
Daniel Poon, owner of the South China Sea Restaurant, said he has put up posters at his business's front door and posted messages on Facebook to let the public know the restaurant will remain open during construction.
He said he didn't know the street would fully close until his wife heard the news at a recent Uptowne Olds meeting.
Whether the street is partially or fully closed will still mean a lack of parking for customers, Poon added, unless people start resorting to using parking lots in the area such as the one behind the provincial building at the intersection of 51 Avenue and 49 Street after hours.
As for the "misinformation" businesses received about whether the street would fully close or not, Strocher said she is now "cynical" about the town's claims that the work will be completed in one month, adding the town had also stated the project was supposed to start one month ago.
"I don't know what to believe," she said.
Wright told the Olds Albertan in mid-August the 50 Street project was postponed because weather had delayed other infrastructure work in the town that had to be completed before the start of the school year.
This project is being carried out in preparation for major infrastructure repair work on 50 Avenue in the downtown core next year and comes after previous water main replacement projects further west on 50 Street.
McInnis said whether the project is completed in the one-month timeline depends on what workers find when they tear up the street, adding because of the age of the water infrastructure under the roadway, the work is "needed."
He also said because some of the money for the project comes from the provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative fund meant for repairing critical infrastructure, this and similar projects have to be completed before a 2017 deadline imposed by the province.
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