The Town of Black Diamond has committed to paving one more section of its residential streets.
A proposal by administration to commit $49,500 of Municipal Stimulus Program (MSP) funding to go ahead with the planning and design to have 3 Avenue SW paved from 2 Street SW to 3 Street SW was before town council at its Dec. 2 meeting.
The funds will cover the survey, design, request for proposal, and contract establishment for the project.
The roads adjacent C. Ian McLaren School will be fully paved to the north, west, and south, leaving only the road on the east boundary of the elementary school's grounds to be paved.
Town CAO Sharlene Brown said in a phone interview that she was happy to see more of the town’s infrastructure deficits dealt with and life made better for residents.
"The more that we're able to deal with our infrastructure and infrastructure deficit, I think the town's just in a better shape with that in the long run,” Brown said.
“It'll make it easier for the school bus routes, make it easier for parents, and make it better for residents adjacent to C. Ian McLaren.”
She said the road improvements include a lining of the sanitary sewer line, but that the water lines were in good shape, according to the Town’s infrastructure study. It will also mean new street lights being added to the road.
Coun. Brian Marconi is happy to see the project going forward, and grateful for the grant money to make it happen.
"Grants are very important for small towns. It's not like the City of Calgary where they can just go do this stuff,” Marconi said. “We have to wait for those grants.
"Our infrastructure deficit is way into the $18 million and there's no way a small town can do that.”
Marconi pointed out that infrastructure doesn’t come cheap these days.
"These things can be very expensive nowadays,” Marconi said. "And we're only going to be doing a block and you're looking $400,000 plus.
“So you don't get a lot done for the money anymore.”
He is also happy that new street lights will be going in on the length of road, the money for which will come out of a street light reserve fund the Town set aside.
Currently there are only two lights at either end, and the older lights don’t meet the new standards.
"Street lights are important because it's a safety issue for the town at night,” Marconi said. “There's a lot of streets that don't have it, and boy, you go down those streets and it's darker than the Ace of Spades.”
