GE possible site for new transit garage
The city needs a new garage for its transit buses and there will be a public consultation on Wednesday to get feedback on six possible locations – including a section of the General Electric property on Park St.
The meeting is taking place in the main lobby of City Hall on Wednesday from 4:30 until 7 p.m.
Right now the city’s buses are stored at the public works yard on Townsend St., but the yard is about to move to the former Coach Canada property on Rye St. (which the city bought a couple of years ago).
The bus barn could be upgraded and left there at 182 Townsend St. once the public works yard leaves – but there are other options too.
There’s 107 Park St. N., for example, which is owned by General Motors (where motors plant manufacturing will cease by September).
City staff is also still considering 587 Harper Rd., over the objection of at least one citizen who spoke to council more than a year ago.
During budget talks in November 2016, Harper Park advocate Kim Zippel told councillors that putting the bus barn there could harm a nearby coldwater trout stream.
Zippel said she was concerned about parking lot runoff into the coldwater creek from the new bus garage on Harper Rd.
“You’re trying to shoehorn industrial sites onto an ecologically-sensitive area,” she said in 2016.
Zippel urged council at the time to hold a public consultation before building the garage on Harper Rd. and councillors listened.
Here are the potential locations that will be presented at the meeting Wednesday:
n 182 Townsend St. (the current public works yard) n 587 Harper Rd. n 107 Park St. N (GE property) n 1490 Crawford Dr./551 Harper Rd. (near the casino)
n 420 Ashburnham Dr. (north of Neal Dr.)
n 1801 Fisher Dr. (at Airport Rd.)
Rob Dunford, a senior project manager for the city, said it will be a drop-in meeting where citizens can see information on placards and ask questions of staff. He said there will not be a staff presentation.
NOTE: Anyone with any feedback is asked to submit it in writing by Jan. 10 to Rob Dunford at rjdunford@peterborough.ca, or to Daniel Crosthwaite, the city’s consultant at IBI Group in Toronto, at daniel.crosthwaite@ibigroup.com