Sidewalk in River John among those scheduled for repairs

Tenders will soon go out for a sidewalk in River John in need of repair.

Pictou County councillors agreed Monday following a lengthy discussion about the cost of potential new sidewalks in Blue Acres and Little Harbour that it also needs to take better care of the ones already in place.

The motion will need to be approved by council during its July meeting.

It is estimated a sidewalk that runs from the River John library to Simpson’s Buy and Sell will cost the county about $100,000 to properly repair, but considering it is a currently a tripping hazard, councillors said it would be money well spent.

“We had better fix them,” said Coun. Ron Baillie. “It is an accident waiting to happen.”

Baillie said he could take some of the blame for the poor state of the sidewalk by not bringing it to council’s attention earlier, but now that council is aware, it can’t be ignored.

He said it is great that council is concerned about the safety of pedestrians where there are no sidewalks, but it is also had to get a better grip on the state of existing ones.

Some councillors suggested making minor repairs this budget year and doing a full repair next year, but county staff said it would be better to do the work now and all at once.

Sidewalks have been on the county’s meeting agenda for months.

Tenders have gone out for new sidewalks near the Pictou County Wellness Centre, Riverton and Alma and now council has new information about the cost to place sidewalks in Blue Acres and Little Harbour.

County staff told councillors it could cost up to $680,000 to put in new sidewalks and a freestanding structure so people can safely pass over McLellans Brook.

Meanwhile, placing sidewalks in Little Harbour from the seniors residence to the store at the intersection of Little Harbour Road and Pictou Landing/Kings Head roads will cost $178,000 to $190,000 depending on what side of the road the work is done.

Both the Blue Acres and Little Harbour proposals will be put through council’s own ranking system to determine priority and any cost-sharing opportunities.