Residents Protest Start Of Construction
Residents hold signs, "City Hall, we need answers first" as they protest the start of Sewer installation – photo 250 news
Prince George, B.C.- A protest this morning in the Hart Highlands.
Work was to start this morning on Berwick Drive, to install a sewer line. While residents agree the line needs to be installed, they have many questions about the project which they say City Hall has not yet answered.
“None of our questions are being answered” says Edie Stewart, a resident of Berwick Drive. The project is estimated to cost $2.4 million dollars, and Stewart says residents are expected to pick up the full cost. That would mean each household would have to pay $24 thousand dollars, plus a further $6-$10 thousand to hook up to the line.
“We would like to be able to at least attempt to get some (grant) money for this project.” She says there will be grants available for this kind of work next year, and grant money would ease the financial pain the residents are feeling. “We are being asked to fork out $24 thousand plus dollars just to get the line curbside, the City has not given us a concrete number, they are saying if it goes into over run, we’re responsible for it, so we’re being asked to write a blank cheque basically.”
Stewart says they have been told they can’t park their vehicles on the street, and won’t be able to get out of their driveways for a few days at a time. “We haven’t been told where we can park, where do we get our garbage picked up, what happens if there is a 9-1-1 issue?” asks Stewart.
The matter is expected to come up for discussion this evening at City Council’s regular meeting as there was one letter from a concerned resident in the correspondence section of the agenda. It is expected that letter will be brought forward for discussion.
Residents say when the subdivision was built, septic service was to be a short term situation, that the City had promised it would install sewer services at the City’s cost. “The City has a fiduciary obligation to do the work under the terms promised “ says resident Thomas Kurien.
Comments
Yes! Make the city pay as they should. Take it out of the China fund, or IPG.
The cost of installing a sewer line past one’s property is ridiculous. This area is all sand and takes very little time to dig a trench to install a sewer line. This sewer line was supposed to be installed in the early 70s but was never done. The city received $6 million to install sewer at that time – where has the money disappear? The pavement has deteriorated over the years and now needs replacing and why should the cost of repaving sreets be put on to the homeowner.
or PAC fund
Sounds like the Green Machine at city hall is gonna keep screwing over the people of this city right to the end of her term. I do slightly remember the city was to cover the cost of the infrastructure when the subdivision was being developed. The reason the gave at that time was because the whole area was being developed in phases & they had money for it from city and provincial funds. Where did it go? Leave the residents alone! They already pay taxes and utilities which have sky rocketed over last 5-10yrs. Our pockets are empty!
There are people in top administration that need to go. What a mess…
It appears the city may have to write off the taxes and interest costs for the Fort George Museum.
Someone at city hall made a mistake for the 2014 permissive tax exemptions for non profits. The city now will need to ask the province for permission to write off the unpaid property taxes.
They probably will not look at the option of a grant to the museum as that would cost more than $84,000 as they already pay about $54,580.
All of them legitimate questions! Good on them to stand up for their rights!
BTW, I haven’t seen a pothole patching crew in action anywhere in the city, although there are many potholes to be fixed all over the place! That goes for YRB as well! What is going on?
What a mess!
Its nice to see them sweeping up the streets. Not sure why my street got done 4x in 45 days or so.
the moose: That’s the organisational abilities of the department head! We are lucky, we finally got our street done but it seems that it was only after one of the residents asked about it.
Sweepers way out in Pineview/Blackburn today sweeping up nothing. Where I work I see sweepers going by every 15 mins and I swear the same one with the same driver comes back 10 mins later, then it goes back the other way. It seems they are trying to burn money on useless crap for some reason.
If the city lives up to the amalgamation commitments for this group then all the amalgamated areas will want theirs done too. While this may be the right thing to do it would cause a large increase in taxes for everyone to pay for it. That is unless the original money allotted for this work was set aside in a separate account growing interest for all these decades and can now be used for the original commitments. (:
I am a resident in this area. However the area I am in is supposed to be Phase 2 ,possibly to be done next year. We have had 1 meeting thus far and are supposed to have another one in the Fall before we officially vote yay or nay to go ahead with Sewer tie in. So here is the deal, Why would you wait until now when this should have been brought up A long time ago. This has been in the making for over a year and NOW you are asking questions. Let me guess, you ignored the letters that came in your mailbox because you thought it wasn’t your problem and that it would be resolved for you. It bothers me that nobody stepped up until now. This is a precedent setting project and I have wondered why that area didn’t ask the questions earlier. There was ample opportunity. Well, construction was to start today, clearly didn’t because of the issues…….the project is officially over budget!
Sounds about right, wordguy.
Posted by: Wordguy on June 9 2014 6:45 PM
I am a resident in this area. However the area I am in is supposed to be Phase 2 ,possibly to be done next year. We have had 1 meeting thus far and are supposed to have another one in the Fall before we officially vote yay or nay to go ahead with Sewer tie in. So here is the deal, Why would you wait until now when this should have been brought up A long time ago. This has been in the making for over a year and NOW you are asking questions. Let me guess, you ignored the letters that came in your mailbox because you thought it wasn’t your problem and that it would be resolved for you. It bothers me that nobody stepped up until now. This is a precedent setting project and I have wondered why that area didn’t ask the questions earlier. There was ample opportunity. Well, construction was to start today, clearly didn’t because of the issues…….the project is officially over budget!
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The city did not answer all of the questions from the residents but sent notice last week that construction was about to start. That is why they are angry; they were ignored when they shouldn’t have been.
Some people have no shame. The deal is over. You had your chance to participate, but it passed you by. Time to pay up and be quiet. It’s a legal contract now.
Why can’t it go out to contract. It would be cheaper than the city and a we know exactly what we are paying.
And it might be done properly too.
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