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Friday, November 2, 2007 Cape Breton Post

Inverness County

Construction of public works depot on schedule, budget

Section: Cape Breton

By Nancy King,
Construction of a new $2-million public works depot is on schedule and on budget, and should be completed by the end of next month, Inverness County's CAO says.

Once the building is completed, the transition of operations into it will begin, and it should be fully functioning in December, Kate Beaton added.

The new location is on a 10-acre wooded area near the Strathlorne Forest Nursery and a Department of Transportation garage. It represents a major infrastructure project for the municipality, and will involve relocating its existing recycling facility to the site and housing the county's public works operation in the same building. The municipality is also developing its emergency centre in the same location, Beaton said.

Determining a final location for the depot caused some controversy in the community. The council discussed options ranging from using the gymnasium portion of the former Inverness Education Centre building, a plan which was opposed by residents in that area.

The municipality had also talked to the Strait Regional School Board about possibly using part of the board's Mabou bus garage.

Residents near the Strathlorne site have also expressed concerns the site may be messy, although councillors have said steps will be taken to avoid mistakes encountered at the county's previous recycling facility.

"We (are) confident that the building is going to serve all of our needs very well," Beaton said.

"There (were) concerns with the location, the municipality has determined that that is the most appropriate site for the facility."

CBRM

Public asked for opinions on active transportation plan

Section: Cape Breton

By Chris Hayes,
Walking, hiking, jogging, cycling and skateboarding.

It all falls under the heading of active transportation.

Consultants hired to do a study and write a plan on active transportation for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality will be at displays at a number of locations from today to Sunday eager to hear any ideas people have about active transportation.

Andre Gallant, vice-president of Velo Cape Breton and a member of the active transportation committee guiding the study, said it's important that consultants IBI Group and Stantec get that input.

"We want to get a cross-section of views of what potential there is here, what opportunities and what challenges - barriers to people being more physically active as well as some of the opportunities they do see," he said.

Rick McCready, a municipal planner on the committee, said the consultants wanted to go to places like malls where there are people who wouldn't necessarily go to a formal public meeting.

"The idea is to try to make people aware of what active transportation is and let them know why CBRM is doing an active transportation plan and try to get some ideas from them as to what they think about it."

"Do they see the potential for improvements to pedestrian environments in their communities? Can they suggest something specific?"

McCready suggested people may have ideas about pedestrian safety, sidewalks, walking trails, hiking and skateboarding, for instance.

Broadly speaking, active transportation includes any form of human-powered transportation, he said.

"The whole idea is to get people out of their cars and walking, biking or perhaps skateboarding to school, to work and shopping or even just for recreation - getting people out of their cars for health and environmental reasons."

The consultants will have maps showing the locations of sidewalks and trails and will gather information about how they are used.

The regional municipality has had an active transportation plan in its policies since the municipal planning strategy was adopted in 2005, and various groups from area doctors to Velo Cape Breton have been lobbying for bicycle lanes and walking trail infrastructure for years.

McCready said the active transportation plan is expected to determine priorities that will help guide plans and set priorities for the future.

Gallant said after a draft plan is developed, the consultants will hold more formal sessions with the public and with groups like Velo Cape Breton or trail associations which are already involved in promotion of active transportation.

He said it will be a far-reaching plan that will probably include recommendations for the regional municipality about infrastructure goals.

"The plan itself is going to be long-term," he said.

Cape Breton University professor Catherine O'Brien is also on the consulting team.