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Black Diamond to overhaul section of First Avenue

Infrastructure below 1 Avenue SW between 3 Street SW to 5 Street SW in dire need of repair says administration
WW-Black Diamond 1 Ave BWC 6364 web
Looking west down 1 Avenue SW in Black Diamond on May 9. Council voted to go forward with planning for infrastructure upgrades to 1 Ave. SW between 3 St. SW and 5 St. SW in a May 5 council meeting.

Black Diamond council has voted to go ahead with infrastructure upgrades on 1 Avenue SW.

Presenting to council in the May 5 meeting, CAO Sharlene Brown indicated 1 Avenue SW and the infrastructure below, specifically between 3 Street SW to 5 Street SW, was in dire need of repair.

“The 1 Avenue SW water line, over a period of five years, has now had five leaks,” she said.

Brown later explained in an interview the costs of repair will eventually outweigh a complete replacement.

“Instead of spending the money on spot repairs, if we do a full replacement, we would definitely save money,” she said, adding the costs don’t just come from repairs. “I think it’s going to be advantageous in the long run as well for what we pay for in potable water.

“We focus on our lost water and that will save us significant amounts of dollars in our operations in the long term.” 

There were other options presented to council, including 1 Avenue NW, but underground infrastructure was in better condition, which meant less ongoing costs.

“First Avenue NW has a really bad road surface, but the infrastructure underneath that road surface isn’t that bad,” she said.

“Administration is concerned about the amount of water loss right now.

“Dealing with pipes in the ground that have a significant amount of issues would be first priority.”

Mayor Ruth Goodwin agreed in an interview that band aid solutions wouldn’t suffice.

“We’re now at that point where we need to move ahead with this project,” she said.

The Town grades infrastructure issues on a 1-5 scale based on multiple factors, she added, with the stretch of road in question sitting at a 4.34 in terms of urgency.

Infrastructure deficits such as unpaved roads or incomplete infrastructure, she said, are a common issue for small towns that she hopes to remedy in her home court.

A silver lining that came with the 2013 floods was the chance for a look at the big picture.

“After the 2013 floods, we were able to afford a full audit of our town infrastructure and priorities and identify the areas to address,” she said.

Coun. Brian Marconi put forward the motion for the work to go ahead on the section of 1 Ave. SW from 5 St. SW to 3 St. SW, with council voting unanimously in favour. 

The Town’s engineering firm, Urban Systems, estimated the cost of the work at $1,496,300 accounting for yearly price increases, and would include road paving, sanitary sewer, water lines, and streetlights.

Brown explained the total cost was pending the design and geotechnical work to be completed in 2021, funded by provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grant funding.

Aside from stopping chronic water leaks, the upgrades would also mean more streetlights on the roadway, Brown added.

Construction would be expected to be complete no later than Dec. 31, 2022.

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