The Town of Castor council has approved its annual sidewalk repair for 2022.
Council made the decision in a motion put forward by Dep. Mayor Trudy Kilner during council’s April 25 meeting.
The section approved is the north side of Main Street in between 51 Street and 52 Street, running in front of Andy’s restaurant, the dental clinic and past the Castor Outreach School.
Identified by administration as the most problematic section due to the amount high number of tripping hazards on it, the section was administration’s recommendation out of a list of five sidewalks which are all in need of work.
Other sidewalks identified in the request for council decision as needing replacement include one by the hospital, one across the road to the west from the town office, a section on 51 Avenue between 50 and 51 Street, and a section on the west side of 52 Street between 51 Avenue and 52 Avenue.
The cost to replace the approved sidewalk will be just over $48,000, which the town funds through the $50,000 annual allotment of Gas Tax Funds from the federal government.
Due to the structural stability being unknown of both the Andy’s building and the building beside it, which has been declared unfit for human habitation, council did have concern about what would happen if one, or both, the buildings were to be demolished, potentially taking the sidewalk with it.
“We’re taking a risk with number one,” said Kilner.
Also concerning council was the amount, or lack thereof, of pedestrian traffic on that particular sidewalk, something administration was unable to provide.
“Which (sidewalk) has more traffic, we can’t tell you,” said chief administrative officer (CAO) Christopher Robblee.
“But, there are bad spots by the dentist and Andy’s.”
Despite the risks, the motion was ultimately carried.
Gas and Water systems
Castor’s gas and water systems continue to show positives.
The water system report ending March 31, 2022, shows that the losses on the town of Castor water system remains stable around the 10 per cent mark, down from over 20 per cent several months ago.
Physical water lost showed a total of just over 614 cubic metres of water, or the equivalent of around what three typical families would use, assuming an average use of around 200 cubic metres per month, according to Robblee.
“The water losses are actually looking really good,” said Robblee.
Over in the gas system, the town continues to run around a 3.3 per cent surplus, however after doing some research with the Federation of Gas, other municipalities and the federal government, Robblee believes the number to be artificially inflated due to the calculations they are using.
Administration is going to switch over to a federally approved calculation for gas systems to see if, and how much, the surplus in the gas system shrinks.
Robblee did tell council that regardless of the calculation, he believes the system is earning a surplus.
“You sell more gas, you make more money,” said Robblee.
“It’s still really positive, it’s more of a calculation error than anything.”
Castor museum request
Castor and District Museum has requested permission from the town to close Railway Avenue between 51 Street and 52 Street on May 28.
The closure would be done to allow for the grand re-opening of the museum facility that day, which follows several years of renovation and COVID related closures.
With the museum split between the station-house on one side of the avenue and the compound featuring Beaver School and the elevator on the other, the society anticipates a large number of people crossing between facilities.
Entry into the car wash would not be affected.
Coun. Don Sisson motioned to allow the request, which was carried.