We all know that in the past the City of Prince George has had to keep borrowing money to complete many projects that were started. Therefore it blew my mind when I received a letter from the Engineering and Public Works department in February detailing a plan to build a sidewalk in Edgewood Terrace to accommodate those in Nechako View off North Nechako Road.
At a cost of over $550,000, they plan to build a sidewalk in 2020 from North Nechako Road along Churchill Drive with an aside down Stevens Drive. just to the Nechako View subdivision and no further. This will not accommodate any residents on the rest of Stevens Drive down to the river or in other parts of Edgewood Terrace. It appears that it is being built solely to accommodate those in the Nechako View subdivision. This is even more surprising because the Nechako View subdivision was intended not to connect to Edgewood Terrace through Stevens Drive.
The sidewalks that we already have in the area were not cleared this winter. Furthermore, there was so much snow plowed up on Stevens Drive that there was barely enough room for cars to pass each other. The city did an excellent job of snow plowing but there just is no room to put the snowbanks.
I just ask what becomes of the sidewalks during these winter months? There would be four months during the winter when they aren't useable and then two months of summer and this sidewalk is being built at the request of the Edgewood Elementary Parent Advisory Committee to benefit Nechako View residents.
I am suggesting that the $550,000 could be put to better use in Prince George proper where there are many places without sidewalks.
In short, I feel that this is a waste of city resources that could be put to better use elsewhere. The proposed sidewalks serve only a small subset of the neighbourhood and I question how much they would get used throughout the year.
P.S. The short sidewalk they put in last year alongside the new school parking lot was really enjoyed by the neighbourhood pets, as I witnessed last spring.
D. McFarlane,
Prince George
