A repaving project that cost less than what was budgeted has allowed the Village of Burns Lake to improve other areas of town.
The Eighth Avenue repaving project - which involved the resurfacing of a two-block stretch between Centre Street and Babine Lake Road - cost $75,000 less than the amount LB Paving had originally budgeted.
With the $75,000 cost savings, four other areas of town were identified as compatible for an asphalt pavement overlay, according to acting mayor Charlie Rensby. These areas include:
- Pioneer Way from Hwy. 35 to the Lakeside Multiplex entrance;
- The entrance road to the Blue Spruce Mobile Home Park;
- The intersection of Gilgan Drive and Third Avenue;
- And the Government Street section between the Burns Lake Public Library and Husky intersection.
Rensby said some pavement patching has also been completed, and that the continuation of this work is expected to be completed over the next two to three weeks.
An overhaul of Eighth Avenue was put on hold earlier this year after a $2.7 million grant application for Burns Lake was rejected once again by the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
READ MORE: Filling in the cracks on Eighth Avenue
The village then decided to scaled back its ambitious plan by resurfacing the two-block stretch of Eighth Avenue this summer. The project was originally budgeted at $360,000.
The village has an annual road-resurfacing budget of $160,000, which is funded with the village’s proceeds from the so-called Community Works Fund of the Federal Gas Tax, a levy charged on every litre of fuel at the pump. The remainder of the cost was paid using the village’s capital reserve account.
The specter of borrowing money to overhaul local roads resurfaced at the Burns Lake village council meeting on May 15, prompting debate about a potential referendum on public debt. But council ultimately opted to pay for next year’s roadworks using reserve accounts after a village staff report indicated that interest payments would result in higher property taxes for residents.
READ MORE: No referendum on Eighth Avenue
- With files from David Gordon Koch