WHITEWATER REGION — Lacroix Bay resident Phil Cottrell is happy council listened to his concerns regarding the “slash, rip, crash and bash” that recently occurred in that area of the township, which is near La Passe.
Mr. Cottrell spoke to council at its meeting last night about the “brutal fashion” of brushing along some roadsides.
“We live in a very beautiful part of the country,” he said, noting he has been in every province and territory except the Yukon.
“I think the township does a good job in beautifying the area,” he added. “I know there are many challenges in road maintenance in the township.”
There are hundreds of kilometres of road that have to be maintained, Mr. Cottrell said, and he noted, the township does a good job of maintaining them.
“So, why do we, in the name of brush cutting, crash, bash and slash the verges and sides of our roads in such a dramatic fashion,” Mr. Cottrell questioned, showing a slide of a slashed roadside.
He questioned township roads supervisor Randy Buckwalt about the horrible-looking verges after they had been brushed. It was explained to Mr. Cottrell that using the large machinery saves a significant amount of time in terms of manhours and efficiencies.
However, in some areas it’s absolutely brutal, he said. There are also great globs of earth left on the roads as the machine travels, he noted.
Mr. Cottrell also referred to the brusher as a “machine that looks like it’s from a Mad Max movie.”
The grasses and weeds will cover the stumps and brush on the ground, but he is concerned with the trees scarred several metres up from the ground.
“This is a very aggressive and indiscriminate machine that is used, which essentially knocks down everything in its path, leaving some areas looking like they’ve been strafed by the RCAF,” he stated. “There has to be a better way.”
Mr. Cottrell noted it will be difficult for anyone who has their home for sale to sell it when it looks like a slashing operation is happening.
He understands brush cutting is necessary in some areas, but questions if it needs to be done in Lacroix Bay, where there has never been an accident or problems with access, school buses or delivery trucks.
“I suggest we be a little more selective where we do this aggressive brush cutting,” Mr. Cottrell said.
If people see how township staff leaves the roadsides, like they don’t care, what is the message being sent out, he questioned. People may think, “Might as well throw my garbage there, why keep your own property looking good.”
If brush is cut down, instead of leaving it in a large heap, he suggested it be removed or chipped.
Along with complaining, Mr. Cottrell also brought suggestions and recommendations for township management to consider prior to brushing an area.
Evaluate the necessity of wide-spread brush cutting on all roads within the municipality, he suggested.
“Please treat those areas with a little more care and sensitivity,” Mr. Cottrell said. “Please return to Lacroix Bay and tidy up the mess on the bend. Bring some chainsaws, because it is horrible. Please remove the brush which was cut when the new posts were installed at the causeway.”
The whole issue of brush cutting and the level with which it is done, should be reviewed, he reiterated.
Mr. Cottrell ended his presentation with a quote from English actress Emily Cl — “I long for the countryside. That’s where I go for my calm and tranquility. From being able to come and find a spot of green
“I think she might have a problem coming down to Lacroix Bay right now.”
Mayor Hal Johnson agreed, suggesting that all of council did as well, that Mr. Cottrell had some very valid points.
“I drove down…and when I drove in, I thought to myself, we could look into doing this a little bit different,” he said.
When the current machine was purchased, it was the best machine at the time, he said.
Mayor Johnson said the reason for the brushing in winter is so salt and sand can have quicker access to the sun, which makes the roadways that much safer.
Chief Administrative Officer Robert Tremblay said staff will have a look at Lacroix Bay and come back with a report to council on why they do it – drainage, as an example.
Councillor Dave Mackay said if brushing was done more often, the trees wouldn’t grow as tall as they have, with Mayor Johnson agreeing.
“Some of the practices in the past were to use a pole saw to cut clean the hangers, and this was done at a bad time of the year to have staff doing that,” Mayor Johnson said. “Staff will relook at it. Any place close to housing you will have a lot of discussion on it. It’s one of those necessary evils.”
Councillor Charlene Jackson agreed that Mowat and Highcrest roads look exactly the same as Lacroix Bay. She’s hopeful the machine can come back and mulch, as it does have that capability.
“It is not pretty looking, I would totally agree,” she stated.
Councillor Chris Olmstead, who is owner of Olmstead’s Home Hardware, said he receives many complaints about this brushing. One of the questions he gets asked is, ‘Why do they bash everything to hell,” he said. “People are not happy with it.”
