The Kitimat Heritage Group has again raised concerns about the condition of the city’s sidewalk system - and of one sidewalk in particular.
In a letter to council, Walter Thorne first complimented the city on the improvements it had carried out to date.
However, one of the groups biggest concerns was the plan to decommission some of the sidewalks. “We do realise that some of them are of little use and in a sad state, but others are still important connector routes,” he wrote.
Noting that over time the sidewalk network has been shrinking, he added, “If this trend continues, it will cease to be a network of sidewalks and thus fundamentally fail the original town design.”
The sidewalk of special concern was between Fulmar and Egret which he noted connected to the Heron Street park and on to the Nechako Centre.
“Surely there is a way to keep this integral sidewalk open,” he implored, adding, “What a pity there are no statistics on walker use. I’m sure you would find this one is a major connector.”
Thorne said he knew “a great many people” in the Tweedsmuir section of the Whitesail neighbourhood used this sidewalk to get to churches, school and businesses “in the heart of Nechako”.
And with the closure of Roy Wilcox Elementary, the amount of traffic on that sidewalk could only increase.
Council unanimously agreed the letter be referred to engineering director Tim Gleig with a request he bring back to council the approved walkway plan and comments.