(file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Walkway safety

Walkway lighting proposal deferred to 2021 budget deliberations

Jul 30, 2020 | 1:05 PM

Any decision on a proposal to install lights for North Battleford’s walkways will need to wait a little longer.

Due to the estimated high cost of the project, likely to be done over several years, council plans to instead look at the issue for the 2021 budget deliberations, toward the end of the year.

The city previously consulted with the North Battleford Community Safety Committee to issue a Request for a Proposal (RFP) to improve lighting on the walkways.

“Walkways have become a topic of conversation for many residents in North Battleford,” city planner Ryan Mackrell said in his report. “With the issue growing, administration created an RFP for lighting at the walkways.”

The matter was discussed at council’s meeting after some residents residing near the paths expressed concerns about safety and the potential for vandalism when some individuals access the paths after dark.

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Administration hoped by installing lighting on the walkways the initiative would address residents’ concerns and improve safety, as well as the perception of safety, for nearby homeowners and those who use these paths.

Administration estimated there are about 30 walkways in total in North Battleford, based on the city’s survey.

The city received seven proposals for the project to install lighting for each walkway. The firms L7 Electric and ATS Traffic provided the most competitive pricing and have experience working with the city.

From the offers considered, administration estimated it would cost $12,000 to install lighting for each walkway, for a total cost of $360,000. As a result, the city anticipated the full project would be a four- to five-year capital budget item, at a cost of from about $72,000 to $90,000 per year, depending on how long it takes to complete the work.

Since the cost for the proposed lighting project is too large to be covered in any existing budget for 2020, administration recommended council defer making any decisions until the next year’s budget meetings are held this winter.

“This is a potential project that exceeds our capacity for 2020,” Mayor Ryan Bater said. “It will come back for consideration at future budget deliberations.”

The city will also look at establishing a plan for maintenance work on the walkways, such as grass cutting and snow removal.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW