BARRY’S BAY – Not everyone is happy about Madawaska Valley Council’s decision to open a gated road linking Peter Street in Barry’s Bay to Lakeview Parkway in the Sandhill subdivision.
In February, council decided to open the emergency access after residents from Sandhill submitted a petition stressing the importance of an alternate route into the subdivision.
Council unanimously agreed to unlock the gates and classify the route as a B-6 road, ensuring that the township will bring it up to certain standards, keep it gravelled and provide summer and winter maintenance. The township estimated the cost to upgrade the route into a gravel road as $8,562.66.
Council also promised to open the route sometime in 2015.
The Committee for a Safe St. John Bosco School Zone is not pleased with the decision. Chairman of the committee, Phil Windle, said neither committee members nor parents of Bosco children were consulted before any decision was made.
In September 2012, council of the day confirmed the access route to be an emergency road and gates were installed in 2014.
The recent petition submitted by Sandhill residents argues that the road is never plowed in the winter and a lock is needed to access the road, making it unrealistic to use in the event of an emergency.
Residents who signed the petition also point out the increased traffic near the only intersection leading to Sandhill due to the recent installation of the Tim Hortons restaurant.
But Windle claimed residents of Peter Street were never consulted or asked to sign the petition before it was presented to council.
Get your April 1, 2015 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full story.