Updated at 4:55 p.m.
A fence around a Lorne Street construction site has been repaired, but for how long?
There have been repeated complaints about the fence to Greater Sudbury, the city confirmed Thursday, which has been repaired more than once in the last few weeks, only to fall down again.
Communications officer Shannon Dowling, who said Wednesday they hadn't heard about problems with the fence until Northern Life called, said Thursday that, in fact, some previous complaints had been received and addressed. She was unaware of the old complaints because they were cleared from the active file once they were addressed.
“It's logged into the system, but when the fence was fixed, it was cleared from the system,” Dowling said. “So the fence was fixed, but the fence has fallen down a few times.”
She said the site is covered by a demolition permit, and the city is working with the landowners to find a solution to keep the area secure. While it's not a city construction site, Dowling said the city can step in when there's a potential hazard to the public.
“There was a safety concern, and we are happy to step in and address the complaints,” Dowling said. “When we get complaints, we take the appropriate actions we need to take.”
The story was prompted by a letter from the executive director of the United Way, who was upset the fence, apparently, had been down for two weeks, creating a safety hazard.
In a letter to Northern Life, Michael Cullen said attention to detail is key to “our future prosperity” and the city should have acted quickly to ensure the fence was repaired.
“One of those details that is supposed to be under our city’s watchful eye is the health and safety of our community on all fronts,” Cullen wrote. “The question of the day is how does a major construction site fly under the radar for over two weeks and lay in absolute disarray with respect to our fellow citizens that work and live in the downtown area?”
The construction site is on land where the Beer Store was torn down last summer. An excavator got stuck on the wet land on the property in the fall. An email message to the Beer Store's head office seeking comment wasn't returned.
Original story
The executive director of the United Way is upset that a fence at a Lorne Street construction site has been down for two weeks, creating a safety hazard.
In a letter to Northern Life, Michael Cullen said attention to detail is key to “our future prosperity” and the city should have acted quickly to ensure the fence was repaired.
“One of those details that is supposed to be under our city’s watchful eye is the health and safety of our community on all fronts,” Cullen wrote. “The question of the day is how does a major construction site fly under the radar for over two weeks and lay in absolute disarray with respect to our fellow citizens that work and live in the downtown area?”
The construction site is on land where the Beer Store was torn down last summer. An excavator got stuck on the wet land on the property in the fall.
Shannon Dowling, a spokesperson for Greater Sudbury, said Wednesday that it's a private construction site, not a city one. They haven't received any complaints about the fence, Dowling said, but now that they're aware of the problem, the city's building services department will ensure the problem is rectified.
And email message to the Beer Store's head office seeking comment wasn't returned.
