Sidewalk safety
City of Powell River staff will look into a compromise that could improve pedestrian safety near Cranberry Lake.
At a recent City of Powell River Council’s committee of the whole meeting, Councillor Jim Palm asked Tor Birtig, director of infrastructure, about a safety issue at Cassiar Street and Manson Avenue. “Could you please give council an update on where we are with that dangerous corner?”
Birtig said the area has been surveyed and there is a disruption to the sidewalk up to where the corner cutoff would be on that property.
“What we find is the corner goes into the paved road,” Birtig said. “We were unable to continue the sidewalk at the time of construction, which I think was six years ago. At that time we approached the owner of that parcel of land to take off the corner cutoff and they said no. We asked if we could remove the trees and the owner at that time said no. It would take some negotiations with the existing homeowner to get a corner cutoff so we would have control, and then some costing for the sidewalk around the corner to make that safer.”
Palm said he believes the new owner of the property is cooperative with the idea. “I think if we were to approach him, he would probably be very generous as to allowing us to extend that sidewalk, which would beautify his property and take the unsafe corner out of the equation.”
Palm moved that city staff approach the current owner of the property and that staff return to council with a report about whether there is leeway in taking care of the issue. The motion carried.
