Royalwood residents angered by mess and plans for new walkway
Winnipeg Sun
Sat, August 14, 2004
By ROSS ROMANIUK, CITY HALL REPORTER
Dozens of homeowners in south St. Boniface are telling the city where to stick a sidewalk that's lying in ruins -- and if they get their way, it won't be anywhere near their front yards. The residents of John Bruce Road in the Royalwood subdivision are planning to fight the public works department next month in hopes of killing a plan to replace the several-block walkway they fear could mar their properties and dent their wallets.
'A NIGHTMARE'
"It's just been a nightmare," Joel Bretecher, leader of a petition against the sidewalk plan, told The Sun yesterday.
"Why should we have a sidewalk running through our yards? It will take away from property values. And I wouldn't be able to park in my driveway for the most part, because my truck is too long -- I'd be blocking it."
Many owners of existing houses or residences under construction on the strip are angry at the city's sidewalk plan.
They're even more upset, though, about the mess of concrete atop their yards and driveways as a result of a previous walkway broken and left in shambles by home builders.
That first sidewalk -- built about three years ago on an agreement between the city and housing developer Ladco Co. Ltd. before homes were there -- was later crushed and ripped up by other firms constructing houses on individual lots.
The sidewalk's cost to Ladco was reportedly about $60,000, though company vice-president David Borger said his firm shouldn't take the blame for its subsequent destruction and mess.
Residents want the heaps of concrete gone, as well as the assurance a replacement pathway won't bring a hit to their tax bills.
The Riel community committee will wade into the fray in September.
Randy Fingas, the city's acting engineering manager, confirmed officials want a sidewalk there because of the road's heavy traffic.
He downplayed the cost concern, noting any new walkway could be covered by damage deposits taken from the builders who broke the first one.
Any new sidewalk would now have to contend with yards uneven in height, said Bretecher.
"With the elevations along all that property, that sidewalk would be like a rollercoaster," he said, adding it would pose hazards for "anyone with a walker or stroller or who has a bad hip."
After having to rip up chunks of the previous sidewalk themselves, the homeowners will table a petition to make their point.