Footbridge project goes for review

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Jack Evans

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City residents Dave and Dillon Preston were honoured Monday for heroic efforts at a fire scene. Left to right, Mayor Neil Ellis, David and Dillon Preston, Fire Chief Raymond Chaput and the city's new Deputy Fire Chief Mark MacDonald.

Jack Evans, Belleville EMC

City residents Dave and Dillon Preston were honoured Monday for heroic efforts at a fire scene. Left to right, Mayor Neil Ellis, David and Dillon Preston, Fire Chief Raymond Chaput and the city's new Deputy Fire Chief Mark MacDonald.

EMC News -Belleville - For a council that traditionally makes cuts whenever possible, Belleville Council Monday opted to review a major project with a view to upgrading.

The project is repair to safe standards the existing footbridge which spans the Moira River between Coleman and Front Street at the intersection of Catharine Street.

Council was considering a report and formal recommendation from staff to rehabilitate the bridge this year at an estimated cost of $230,000 and to call for tenders immediately.

Councillor Tom Lafferty reminded that the project as approved originally had other options, including a complete new bridge. His concern was that done properly, it would become part of a major enhancement for the downtown, in keeping with the Mayor's Task Force and would eliminate a perennial problem of conflict between pedestrians and bicyclists.

Staff engineer Ray Ford argued that widening the bridge enough to create bicycle lanes would be very costly, raising costs to as high as $2 million.

Lafferty argued that it might be worth council's while to "do it right" and solve some pressing problems, both immediate and long range.

His argument drew support from some members of council, but a definite split of opinion quickly arose.

To allow time to obtain more details, council narrowly passed a motion to defer action pending considerations as part of the operating budget.

In other business, Mayor Neil Ellis and council presented citations to Dave Preston and his son, Dillon, for their role in assisting city firefighters at a house fire and rescuing one of the occupants. Firefighter Cliff Edwards, who recommended the recognition, noted that at the fire on January 31, 2011, the two helped prevent what could have been a fatality by keeping an occupant from reentering the blazing building.

Council also formally welcomed long-time city firefighter Mark MacDonald as its new Deputy Fire Chief, promoted from the ranks, and new Chief Librarian Trevor Post, who said how happy he was to have moved to Belleville with his family from Toronto.