A stinky issue is a key worry amongst residents of Ward 2, which is made up of the former town of Walden and Copper Cliff, according to the two men campaigning for its council seat.
Incumbent Jacques Barbeau is being challenged by Peter Albers in the upcoming Oct. 25 municipal election. Albers raises concerns that the city will not be ready when Vale stops allowing the city to dump sewage in its tailing lagoons.
“At the end of 2012, we have no place to dump our sewage,” he said. "We have not broken ground yet on a new biosolids plant to handle (this).” The technology to deal with the sludge hasn't been chosen yet, and the projects moves ahead slowly.
But Barbeau said he is confident the new biosolids facility will be ready on time.
“I expect by late this year, or early in the next year, the new council will be informed about the right technology to be used (in the facility),” he said. “Then a request for proposals can go out.”
In the meantime, he said the odour problems caused by the sludge during summer months has been dealt with by liming the pools and using water resonating equipment that pumps oxygen into the pond's water.
On the topic of water, Barbeau said Ward 2 residents worry for the quality of their lakes.
“People are concerned about the appearance of blue green algae in their lakes," he said. "We spend too little on our lakes compared to our roads.”
Both candidates expressed concern over drivers and road conditions.
“We have a portable speeding monitor on MR 24 in Lively that alerts drivers to how fast they are going,” but further monitors should be installed on Kantola Road, Patricia Street and Hillcrest Drive in Lively, Barbeau said.
“We need traffic calming measures on MR 24 at Sixth Avenue and Main Street to deter heavy trucks from driving through this residential area.”
Truck traffic is getting heavier, Albers said, and said he is noticing some homeowners are facing structural damage from the loads.
“We need to speak to Vale about their drivers.”
While the main roads are an issue, Ward 2 has kilometres of rural roads, some which aren't even paved, and their condition concerns Barbeau.
“Fairbank Lake Road and Panache Road are the two worst (roads), but there is also Kantola Road, Moxam Landing Road and Black Lake Road,” he said. “We are having $3 million worth of work done on Panache Road but it really needs $10 million worth of work.”
Taking traffic off the roads would help, though that isn't an option for most Ward 2 residents. Ward 2 residents have transit service every other hour, except during the early morning when an extra route runs to Copper Cliff, and during the noon hours, when there is no service. Each trip in to the city or out to the ward takes around an hour.
Residents want a higher quality of transit service, Barbeau said.
“I hear people want a park-and-ride program, where they can leave their cars at arena parking lots in Lively or Copper Cliff and bus into the city for work purposes,” he said. “I intend on working on that through the city's transit committee.”
This article is part of a series examining each contested ward going into the Oct. 25 election.
