Ward 3 Paris Councillors stand behind the necessity, delivery and communication of Hillside / Race Street infrastructure upgrade project

To the Editor:

‘I (and Councillor Peirce) want to respond to the article in week’s Paris Independent on the ongoing construction project on Hillside Avenue and Race Street. Concerns were raised about the need for the project, the efficiency and quality of the delivery of the project, about communications with Councillors and County staff and, finally, accountability.

Firstly, need; this project is the latest in an ongoing series of urban infrastructure upgrades implemented in Paris and elsewhere in the County. With growth in Paris and an aging infrastructure these upgrades are necessary for now and generations to come. Failure to maintain and upgrade infrastructure has some very unfortunate consequencesask the folks in Calgary.

This and other projects (including Laurel Street, Cedar Street, Dundas Street, Main Street and Market Street) used the opportunity of major road reconstruction to add side walks on one side of the street in accordance with our stated policy (in our Transportation Master Plan) of providing a safe and connected active transportation system in our urban communities.

As Ward 3 Councillors we made a case to exclude Hillside and Race streets given their relatively isolated geographical location and the wide road section but we did not get the support of the majority in Council.

Secondly, delivery; on a practical note, our County infrastructure and road reconstruction projects have to contend with limited construction seasons - typically ( and this was the case also for Laurel Street, Cedar Street, Dundas Street, Main Street and Market Street) construction straddles 2 construction seasons. We try to leave the partially completed work at the end of the first season in a drivable and usable situation and get back to it as soon as possible to finalize work in the next season. This year Dundas, Chapel and Main Street were completed by mid June. Unfortunately, the contractor on the Hillside/Race Street project (different from the contractor on Dundas, Chapel and Main) has not delivered as quickly but work is approaching completion with final asphalt, sodding and drive end repair ongoing

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A view of Hillside/Race Street reconstruction project as it nears completion. This project is just one of an ongoing series of urban infrastructure upgrades implemented in Paris and across the county to accommodate growth and replacing aging infrastructure.