Weekly newsletter: September 19, 2023
Hello again!
It’s supposed to be a beautiful week according to the current weather forecast! Save for a chance of some rain today, it’s just sunshine straight through the week and weekend. Of course, take any forecast past two days with a grain of salt.
Police station
At its next meeting Monday, September 25, the Ottawa Police Services Board is set to formally (and finally) approve the construction of the new police station on Prince of Wales south of Strandherd.
The project passed the OPSB’s Finance and Audit Committee earlier in the month.
Some roadway modification works have been taking place on Prince of Wales Drive between Lodge Road and Rocky Hill Drive in support of the project, which is why 225 metres of Prince of Wales was not resurfaced when everything south of it towards Bankfield was.
Upon completion of the roadway modifications, which includes a new left turn lane to the shared access to the future police station and Carleton Lodge, as well as an extension of the median island, that section of Prince of Wales will be resurfaced next year.
The project remains in the 2023 resurfacing budget, with the additional costs of remobilisation coming from the police station project.
It’s been a long road for a facility that’s long been needed in the southern part of Ottawa. After being shelved twice (once to wait for the completion of the Vimy Memorial Bridge, the second time due to the pandemic, costs, and social environment), I’m very happy this project is finally pushing ahead.
Chief Stubbs will also be reintroducing the district policing model, whereby command is somewhat decentralised to allow local command to allocate resources to suit local needs. The Barrhaven police station will serve as the new southern district’s headquarters.
The police station will also house the Ottawa Police Service’s marine unit, 9-1-1 call centre, records, special events, traffic unit, and a regular police detachment. It replaces two existing police stations past their useful life and allows the OPS to terminate leases at two facilities.
Upon approval at the Police Services Board, construction is expected to begin late-2023, anticipated to open in 2026, bringing hundreds of well-paying jobs into the community.
Clarke Bellinger ponds
After nearly more than two years of the north pathway being inaccessible to residents, there’s some good news — it’s expected to reopen Monday, September 25!
The contractor received security clearance from the RCMP last week and is now in the process of finalising mobilisation (they were redeployed due to delays in getting said clearance). Crews will return in the next two weeks to remediate the grassy areas and reinstall the RCMP’s fence by the end of November.
Following a discussion with the City, contractor, and RCMP (and since the work does not require any heavy machinery), the parties have agreed to allow the pathway to reopen. However, path users should be mindful there may be some staged equipment and works taking place alongside the path.
The Clarke Bellinger ponds were constructed in the early-1990s to treat stormwater runoff from catch basins across almost every neighbourhood east of Greenbank and north of Strandherd.
During wet weather, runoff enters catch basins and flows underground into the upper pond west of Leikin before passing through culverts to the lower pond east of Leikin. As the runoff slowly moves through the ponds, solid pollutants, and sediment settles out of the water.
The water is then discharged via the Barrhaven Creek (which runs through the woods north of Baroness Drive) to the Rideau River in an outlet north of Winding Way.
Naturally, this means sediments have accumulated in the pond over its 25 years of operation and needed to be cleaned out to ensure the continued performance of the ponds.
Clean-out of the pond was done using suction and hydraulic dredging to pump the sediments from the bottom of the pond to dewatering containers staged by the RCMP building. The setup of those containers necessitated the closure of the north path. The dried sediments were transported to the Trail Road Landfill.
As a bit of trivia to wrap up this section, Clarke Bellinger was the last public works commissioner of the former City of Nepean. He retired from the former city in 1999 and continued to serve our community as a resident/community advisor to the new City of Ottawa’s Public Works department.
He was recognised by the American Public Works Association in 1999 as one of the top 10 leaders among Canadian and American public works departments.
I love digging into name origins!
Sidewalk inspection pilot
Over the next week or two, residents may notice a golf cart driving on sidewalks in the ward. The golf cart belongs to CleanCrete Cutting, who was contracted by the City to pilot an improved sidewalk inspection and maintenance regime.
The crew operating the vehicle has data collection equipment and an integrated GPS receiver. The pilot tests an efficient and accurate approach to managing inspection points throughout the assessment.
Previously, locations that needed repairs were identified through 3-1-1 or by the same crews who repair them. The aim of the new approach is to 1) provide a fuller on-the-ground picture quicker and 2) free up repair crews so they can respond to work orders quicker.
With over 2,500 kilometres of sidewalk in the city, fulsome inspections have been difficult and have diverted crew resources away from actual repairs, especially with the province's requirement for sidewalks to be inspected at least every 16 months.
The golf cart may occasionally impede pedestrian access as crews stop to take notes and/or photos, but they are expected to make way when necessary. The vehicle will be clearly marked with "SIDEWALK INSPECTION" above the rear wheels.
Barrhaven East was chosen as the pilot ward. Upon completion of the pilot, staff will assess its success before expanding the new regime across the rest of the city, which will likely come with a budgetary ask later this year for next year.
Residents with any questions, concerns, or observations about the pilot may share them with me at Wilson.Lo@ottawa.ca.
Until next week, take care!