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Construction plan in Sidney to proceed without buried wires

A planned $1.75 million infrastructure replacement project along Allbay Road in Sidney will proceed as originally planned

A planned $1.75 million infrastructure replacement project along Allbay Road in Sidney will proceed as originally planned — without the undergrounding of power, telephone and cable utilities.

Through its consultation process with Allbay Road residents on the work, the Town fielded a request to explore undergrounding those utilities and in that process detailed the potential for a Local Service Area (LSA) to be established to pay for the added cost (not included in the $1.75 million).

A survey, which received responses from 41 of 57 property owners, showed 42 per cent (or 24 of the 41), the majority, did not support a LSA.

In his report to council, Director of Corporate Services Andrew Hicik noted the Town does not collect enough money through property taxes to include the burying of utilities in such a project.

Normally, he said, this is done during a property redevelopment.

Nor would the Town, in general, fund private utilities in residential areas.

“Some of the residents felt the Town should have picked up half the cost,” he said, noting that that isn’t the normal practice and in the end would require a higher level of taxation.

Hicik said the survey response showed not enough support for an LSA.

Residents will be informed of that result and be kept up to date on the progress of the work, the cost of which will be funded fully from the Town’s Infrastructure Replacement Reserve.

The project is expected to begin in 2015.

 

editor@peninsulanewsreview.com