CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The City of Charlottetown will continue its annual storm water management project this year, also known as ditch infilling, but some councillors are having second thoughts about the program’s future.
The city has budgeted roughly $1.5 million to fill in ditches on five streets in 2019 while 10 other areas are ready to proceed or are nearing completion.
On the list this year are Lower Malpeque Road, from Thorndale Avenue to Oldmoore Crescent; Thorndale Avenue, from Lower Malpeque Road to the end of the street; Parent Street, from MacRae Drive to the end of the street; Hughes Crescent, from East Royalty Road to the end of the street; and Green Meadows Drive, from the north end of Fox Run Drive to the south end of Fox Run Drive.
Once those are done, it would leave about 12.5 kilometres of residential streets to do at a cost of roughly $11.5 million.
Since the city started the process in 2003, it has spent about $34 million filling ditches.
At a recent meeting of the public works committee, some members of council feel enough may be enough. At the very least, it’s time to see if there is an appetite to go the distance and discuss the matter privately as a council.
“It’s like we’re hooked,’’ said Mayor Philip Brown, questioning the need to keep going.
“It’s weaning-off time,’’ agreed Coun. Mike Duffy, chairman of the public works committee.
On the books
The following streets have been designed or nearing completion:
- Angus Drive, from St. Peters Road to Croker Street
- Belgrave Drive, from Stockman Drive east to Stockman Drive west
- MacLean subdivision, from Brackley Point roundabout to loop
- Moore Drive, from Braemore Avenue to Loridale Avenue
- Westhill Drive, from Kirkdale Road to Braemore Avenue
- Ellen’s Creek Drive, from Scott Street to dead end
- Shamrock Crescent, from Shamrock Drive to the end
- Centennial Drive, from Mount Edward Road to Maple Avenue
- Parkview Drive, from Belvedere Avenue to Elizabeth Street
- Elizabeth Street, from MacKay Drive to Parkview Drive
The public works department wants to know what council wants to do going forward.
“We are looking for a direction from council on how they would like to proceed,’’ said Scott Adams, manager of the department. “Once they give us that direction, city staff will work on developing a policy that reflects their direction.’’
Adams said there is no question that some residential ditches are very deep and pose a safety issue for the home owner. But there are also other properties where, when ditches are filled, problems can arise.
“There are a lot of areas that don’t have grades to get the (rain and snow) water to the catch basins,’’ Adams said, referring to flooding issues that can happen. “We’re having to go back two, three and four times sometimes to try to keep the ground level at a proper elevation and get the water to flow to the catch basins.
“It does cause some ponding in some major rainfalls and it’s harder to get the water over to the catch basins as quickly as it did (with) the ditch.’’
And that means the city is spending money operational dollars to fix problem areas.
“This is a discussion that has to go before council,’’ Brown said.
