Wellington reconstruction, local projects funding updates

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/10/2020 (2029 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A pair of political issues are on the mind of Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood councillor Kevin Klein, including the detailed plans for the Wellington Crescent road and riverbank reconstruction, and the discovery of a fund that would allow long-delayed projects to go ahead.

The detailed design for the Wellington Crescent riverbank and roadway reconstruction was recently announced online by the City of Winnipeg.

Klein said he is seeking more information about the plans, which includes placing riprap, and stabilizing the riverbank with a shear key at several locations.

The design also includes relocating a section of Wellington Crescent away from the river, between Doncaster Street and Grenfell Boulevard, together with construction of a new, 3.5-metre-wide asphalt pathway running along the roadway.

“At first view, you could say that they’ve listened to some of the concerns that were brought out by residents and others, by putting in some traffic-calming measures,” Klein said. “A lot of people were concerned about that long stretch of Wellington becoming, with no traffic slow-down measures, a bit more of a place where speed would increase.”

A map of the design shows a number of “speed tables” located on the street between Park Boulevard North in the west and Doncaster Street in the east.

The map shows which boulevard trees will be retained, but Klein finds it disheartening that the website doesn’t show which trees will be removed to make way for the relocation of the road.

Another concern of Klein is the potential for loss of historical finds from Métis and Indigenous settlements along the stretch of riverbank that will be stabilized. “I have talked to president (David) Chartrand (of the Manitoba Metis Federation) and they’ve been in touch. The city and province and federal government, I believe, had discussions. They’ve assured all parties they’re following the proper protocols to do an assessment when drilling, to ensure they’re not upsetting a large find.”

The city plans to award a construction contract in November 2020. Construction will begin with the riverbank work occurring in winter 2020-21, followed by the roadway work beginning in spring 2021. Construction is expected to finish by the end of summer 2021.

For more, see winnipeg.ca/wellingtonriverbank

• • •

Klein and Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) have been looking into the City of Winnipeg’s Future Services account, with an eye to making withdrawals in order to fund long-delayed projects.

The account is held by the city’s property, planning and development department. When people or developers apply for a permit, the department indicates it needs funds for future development or renovations, be it of a house or a road, for example.

“That money was paid into the Future Services account, and it sat there,” Klein said, adding interest earned on that account has gone into general revenues. “Not all of it. Some of the projects were completed, and some were not. But it’s been almost 40 years for some of them.”

Klein is working to get various projects in his ward resolved in 2020-21. “We were being told, ‘we don’t have the money’, but lo and behold, we do have the money,” he said.

Examples of outstanding projects include Liberty Road, south of Wilkes, which is a gravel road that requires the use of a chemical to keep the dust down. “The residents … paid money when their built their houses, to have the chip-sealed,” he said, adding, “Many of the residents have been telling me they paid to have this done. And every time we would ask, ‘there’s no money there’. It is there.”

There are sidewalk repairs, installation of street lights, and other projects should have been done, he said, adding he will speak to the property, planning and development department about working with public works to identify the money tied to each project from the Future Services account.