This summer will see a number of infrastructure projects being completed by the District of Kitimat, including a new playground in Cable Car.
District of Kitimat director of engineering services Alex Ramos-Espinoza said work has already begun on two of the three major projects, the first being the Quatsino Boulevard walkway project which was awarded to Daudet Creek Contracting.
The walkway, once all the stages are complete, will allow pedestrians to walk from Strawberry Meadows up Quatsino to connect with the hospital complex and Kildala.
The project also allows for the updating of the existing walkway between Albatross Ave. and Bittern St., part of the district’s current five-year plan to replace existing walkways when they’ve come to the end of their useful life.
Improvements on this walkway include widening it to the modern-day standard of 2.45 metres and adding more lights for better illumination at night.
Ramos-Espinoza said where possible, the grade of the walkway will be adjusted so as to make it more accessible for wheelchair use and for people who have mobility issues.
“But there will be some areas where we just can’t – we’d have to excavate down,” Ramos-Espinoza noted.
Gentle grades for more accessibility won’t be a problem with the two-part Quatsino-Lahakas project because it is new construction.
Ramos-Espinoza said the expected duration of work is two to three months, depending on the weather.
The second project currently underway is the capping of a section of the landfill by C & C Road Maintenance, which started mid-June and is expected to be completed by the end of August.
Ramos-Espinoza said a detailed design for the third project, an elevator for the Kitimat Museum & Archives, is expected to be complete by mid-July.
DoK director of leisure services Martin Gould said the layout for the playground in Cable Car has been finalized and the equipment ordered.
The equipment, which cost $88,000, is expected to arrive in Kitimat in the first week of July. The District is currently working on sending out a potential tender document for the project.
“We are hoping that the work on the playground will be completed by the end of August,” said Gould.
The playground’s layout and design involved input from a Cable Car advisory committee and looked at installing a fall protection surface.
“We want to install something special. We want to make sure it’s the best, that we do it right,” added Gould.
Equipment for the Angle Street playground worth $40,000 has been ordered and will most likely arrive the second week in July.
The installation work is expected to be going out for tender soon - Gould anticipates work on the playground will start in August.
