WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — Residents of Olmstead-Jeffrey Lake Road lined the room at the meeting of the Council of the Township of Whitewater Region last night. Discussed was a portion of the road which is in extremely poor condition and contains extensive rutting, alligator cracking and pot holes.
Staff of the Township stated they were looking for ways to manage the road surface in a financially feasible manner, while providing a level of service and ensuring they do not impact their ability to obtain a grant.
According to documentation, the Township applied for a grant under the new Investing in Canada Infrastructure program (ICIP). The grant would be used to rehabilitate Olmstead-Jeffrey Lake Road. The grant application was submitted on May 14 but results will not be announced until the fall.
In the meantime, staff of the Township had proposed to take a large portion of Olmstead-Jeffrey Lake Road back to a gravel surface. This work was not supposed to impact the grant application but the road would remain gravel until at least the 2020 construction season.
Led by Mr. Bill Reid, residents gathered to sign petitions and appeared before Council to urge for cold patching instead.
Mr. Reid asked, “why can’t we get the middle fixed, where the bad is?” Reeve Cathy Regier said she had gone for a drive on the road with her husband on Tuesday night and agreed cold patching is a feasible alternative.
“We [have] got 95 tax payers on that little road,” said Mr. Reid. He referenced that in 20 years, they have not received snow ploughing service.
Robert Tremblay, Chief Administrative Office for the Township of Whitewater Region said, “the original intent in the 2019 budget was to do the 2.5 km, the ‘really bad part’ somewhere in the middle closer to the highway.”
He stated while Township waits to hear back about the grant, the road is deteriorating and putting down the gravel was the first step in a process.
“If the residents would rather not touch it and wait a year, that would be fine with staff,” said Mr. Tremblay.
On motion of Reeve Regier, seconded by Councillor McLaughlin, it was passed to wait a year and earned a round of applause from all residents in attendance.
