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Centre, Fifth sections to be repaved

One councillor opposed the motion

Burns Lake council decided last week that sections of Centre Street and Fifth Avenue will be repaved this summer.

The chosen Centre Street section is between Home Hardware and Second Avenue, and the Fifth Avenue portion is between Hwy. 16 and Centre Street. Village staff say both of these streets are well travelled, and both are in need of repair.

Kelly Holliday was the only councillor present at the meeting who opposed this motion, saying the village should prioritize a section of Government Street - from Third Avenue to the Canada Post office. Holliday said she believes this road is much more utilized than the Fifth Avenue and Centre Street portions.

“It’s really starting to deteriorate along the parking side of the road,” she said.

Burns Lake director of public works Dale Ross said the cost to repave that Government Street section would be approximately $90,000. Although council did not include Government Street in this year’s plan, councillor Michael Riis-Christianson said council should consider this road for next year’s paving project.

Each year the Village of Burns Lake has a budget of $160,000 to be spent on a paving project.

According to the village’s original plan, the next street section in line to be paved would be Fourth Avenue - from Centre Street to Kinette Park. However, earlier this year council decided to re-examine the plan, as Fourth Avenue is not a highly used roadway. Village staff then suggested that council wait until after the spring thaw to make a final decision.

“I would request to reassess after the spring thaw to see what is the best location for pavement at that time because I think [the conditions of] streets change all the time, and there might be a worse section within the town that needs more attention,” said Ross earlier this year.

The Fifth Avenue segment is expected to cost approximately $105,000 while the Centre Street segment is expected to cost about $52,000.