Improvements are coming for two of Boyle’s busiest streets, just as soon as the details can be worked out and contractors can be hired.
Village of Boyle council heard from project manager Sterling Johnson at its May 6 meeting, about the scope of the improvements to 3 St. and 4 St. and some of his recommendations to include before putting out a request for proposals (RFPs) from contractors.
There are three separate pieces of work to complete and three separate RFPs will be posted. One for the underground work, one for the sidewalks and one for street overlay.
The sidewalks on both sides of 3 St. will need to be replaced, along with the curb returns for five metres on all corners of the 1 Ave. intersection, Johnson told council. The para-ramps and catch basin will also need to be replaced. Asphalt will also be extended to the new curb. This will cost an additional $9,000 to previous cost estimates.
He also recommended the new sidewalks be standardized to a seven-foot width on the north block of Railway Ave. Currently, the sidewalk varies at different points by up to two feet. The sidewalks south from 1 Ave. vary by eight inches and standardizing to five feet was recommended, with no additional cost expected.
Mayor Colin Derko commented that with the new street lights that are being purchased, a seven-foot sidewalk would be ideal to beautify the street and increase foot traffic to businesses.
“I think with a seven-foot sidewalk, that will be a lot nicer for getting people walking around and make it more like a patio roadway than a sidewalk that has a post in it,” he said. “I think seven feet makes a whole lot more sense for what we’re trying to accomplish – it`s going to look better … and it`s going to make it better for our people walking on the sidewalks.
Further improvements to the village’s main street include the removal of all existing drop curbs except for the two church locations and the entrances to the back alleys and parking lots. This cleans up the old front driveway accesses that are no longer in use and utilizes back alleys and increases parking and saves $5,000, said Johnson.
The fire hydrants will also be extended two feet behind the sidewalks, with isolation valves placed in the asphalt, which will make for easier maintenance, also with no additional cost.
The cost of painting lines was overlooked in the original estimate as well and will cost an additional $9,000.
Derko commented that he would like to see the work done this summer and to get it underway as soon as possible to take advantage of lower prices during the economic downturn, which could save a considerable amount on labour and materials.
Over on 4 St., Johnson recommended a new valve be installed on the south end of the street so that future needs to isolate the street during water main breaks can be done without shutting the water off on other streets. This will cost $5,000. A new fire hydrant will also cost $13,000 to install as there is currently no hydrant on the street. A new valve box for the existing valve on 5 St. also needs to be installed, at a cost of $6,000.
There are savings to be found in the sidewalk repair though, said Johnson, pointing out leaving in the east sidewalk, which is in good condition, will save about $90,000. Leaving the good portions of the west sidewalk and replacing the rest in pieces will save another $40,000.
“If it’s not broken and it’s not bent and there are no trip hazards, or anything like that, there’s really no reason to pull out that sidewalk, so my recommendation is to just leave it there,” said Johnson.
Council accepted the recommendations for information and will see a more complete proposal at their next meeting.
