Popular path gets upgrade
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Updated: July 03, 2009 9:55 AM
The city is going ahead with plans to upgrade a popular walk-way with ties to the city's history but at a reduced scale to save money for a future rainy day.
Council last month approved the spending of just over one million dollars for various road re-capping projects that include portions of the Kettle Valley Railway path.
This project, according to city engineer Ian Chapman, addresses city obligations to upgrade Cossar Lane and the nearby trail popular with walkers, joggers and bicyclists. The path uses the old railway bed of the now-defunct KVR line, which once connected Penticton, the region and its economy to the Lower Mainland westbound and the rest of Canada east-bound.
But costs considerations forced the city to reduce the scope of the proposed KVR upgrades by $66,270 to just over $200,000.
The city also scaled back improvements to Randolph Road as well as two prominent intersections, the corner of Main Street and Duncan Avenue and the corner of Haven Hill Road and Johnson Road. Lastly, the city scaled back improvements to work on a school parking lot. The school district has since announced that they would pick up the cost.
The funding approved last month also covers seven other projects. Total costs initially topped $1.23 million. But the announced project changes helped reduce costs to $1.067 million.
Chapman acknowledged that the proposed changes will reduce the standard for the KVR work, but also provide additional general funds for future use should it be necessary to cover revenue shortfalls in 2009.
Council approved the changes and the revised contract unanimously.
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