Village crews have opened up a second access point at the Town Square Parking Lot, located adjacent to the Canada Post office.
The extra entrance - via the alley which connects Hwy. 16 to Third Avenue - was intended to enhance the number of available parking spots in the downtown core, a concern raised by several residents and local business owners.
Although opening up the Town Square Parking Lot was a relatively easy and affordable solution, it might have created another problem for the village.
During a recent council meeting, Burns Lake Mayor Chris Beach raised the question about whether the public will end up driving through the Town Square Parking Lot, using it as a shortcut to access Hwy. 16 or Government Street. This would create a situation similar to what is seen at the parking lot behind A&W - a place that many residents have deemed unsafe due to the risk of pedestrians being struck by vehicles.
Although Mayor Beach raised this question at a council meeting, he later told Lakes District News that he was supportive of this project.
“The purpose is to provide more parking to the downtown core,” explained Beach. “Access to parking is our main concern and we feel that by having another entrance off the alleyway will provide additional parking options.”
Some Lakes District News readers, on the other hand, commented on social media that they were unhappy with the parking changes.
“Roads all over need to be fixed and you [are] worried about parking; give you head a shake,” said Linda Mae.
Jewel Peters said all the parking in town should’ve been left as it is.
“Now they want to spend more of our tax dollars on more parking,” said Peters.
A village staff report says village crew and equipment time was required to open up the parking lot’s access point, plus $200 for a new sign. Staff will look into paving costs for the entrance in future years and some additional beautification costs could be added to the village’s 2018 budget.
Opening up a second access point at the Town Square Parking Lot is just one of the parking changes taking place this summer in Burns Lake. In the next few weeks, the village will also implement a loading zone and a two-hour maximum parking time limit along Hwy. 16 - between Centre Street and First Avenue. The village still hasn’t determined what the fines for non-compliance will be.
