Colborne Street Reconstruction
Submitted by Chris Appleton
At the Special Council Meeting on December 1, 2020, CKL Council voted unanimously to support Councillor Elmslie’s motion to include $2.7 million in the capital budget for reconstruction of Colborne Street in Fenelon Falls from Water Street to Bond Street, as well as $1.2 million for sewer and water reconstruction as part of the same project. Councillor Elmslie and Mayor Letham have worked hard to bring this long sought after project to fruition. It will be a major facelift for Fenelon.
The engineering and design work is complete. Construction will likely be scheduled to commence after Labour Day, 2021. This will be a “big dig” much like what has taken place on Kent Street in Lindsay. There will be a deep excavation to replace sewer and water connections, and a complete resurfacing at grade, from storefront to storefront. Some interesting design elements include sidewalk “bump-outs” at key corners, new light standards, and some paving stone installation. The City has shared these design ideas at two public meetings, and in consultation with stakeholders. Further details can be obtained by contacting the engineering department.
City staff have learned a lot from their experience in Lindsay, so the project should go as smoothly as can be expected for such a major undertaking. Nevertheless, there will inevitably be some major disruptions in traffic and storefront accessibility during construction. Contingency plans will have to be made, which may include temporary access to stores from the rear entrance. However, the short term pain will be worth the long term gain.
Closely following the downtown roadworks, the bridge will likely undergo a major rehabilitation. Engineering and design work is underway, but no firm construction schedule or budget allocation has been confirmed. It is possible that the bridge work will take place in the spring of 2022, so that by the summer of 2022 all of the major construction will be completed and Fenelon will have a beautiful new look downtown.
Many thanks to the City and Council for supporting Fenelon Falls.
