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Burnaby gives go ahead to $13 million in capital projects

Second section of Central Park trail to cost $1.8 million; $3 million of new vehicles and equipment
Derek Corrigan
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan

Burnaby city council went on a bit of a spending spree Monday night approving a plethora of projects.

One of the pricier plans calls for $1.8 million toward the second section of the Central Park Perimeter Trail. It will run for 825 metres along Patterson Avenue, the east side of the park, from Imperial Street to the Patterson SkyTrain station.

Like the initial section, which is on the west side along Boundary Road, the multi-use trail will be up to four metres wide with a porous, resilient surface that’s comfortable for walking and running, and quick drying. It’ll also provide water and air percolation to nearby tree foot systems, said a report to council.

“Every time I go by and look at this project it adds to Central Park. It’s highly used and people are enjoying it,” said Mayor Derek Corrigan. “It accents the park.”

The first section also cost $1.8 million. The plan is for it to eventually connect to Kingsway.

Corrigan said it will also help out community groups looking to hold fundraising runs and walks.

He pointed out an upgrade to Douglas Road estimated at $1.3 million is an example of how the city needs to upgrade to current standards what he called inherited infrastructure deficits from “penny-wise and pound-foolish” previous administrations.

“Very often our staff gets blamed because there are roads that didn’t get done, but the reality (is they were) not done decades ago,” said Corrigan.

The proposed project will see Douglas from Sprott Street to the freeway get a curb, gutter and sidewalk on the west side and an urban trail on the east. New bus stops, streetlights, a grass boulevard and trees will also be included.

Nearly $3 million will go toward new vehicles and equipment for the engineering department including: $400,000 for a new front load refuse truck to accommodate the new four-day work week and delivery schedule; two dump trucks at $425,000 apiece; $300,000 for a mini-split body automated refuse; and another $300,000 for an articulating frond end loader.

More than $4 million has been allocated for engineering infrastructure projects including: $2.2 million for hooking up developments to the city’s drainage, sewer, water and road systems; nearly $1 million for road and sidewalk rehabilitations; and $720,000 to replace the stairs on the Sperling Avenue right of way just up the hill from Deer Lake along with landscape, irrigation, bike channel and drainage improvements.

The parks, recreation and culture requests totalled .nearly $3 million and included $595,000 in upgrades to its two golf courses – $370,000 for Riverway and $225,000 for Burnaby Mountain; a $100,000 wheelchair lift for the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club clubhouse; and $350,000 for improvements to Swangard Stadium. An estimated $25,000 will go toward replacing some regular garbage barrels with bear-proof containers in strategic locations where bears have been spotted.

Council also decided to spend $90,000 for a new offset press to produce signs and for the electrical and equipment upgrades to go along with it to replace one that is obsolete that requires frequent repairs and maintenance.

“You’ve spent a lot of money tonight,” Mayor Derek Corrigan said to city manager Lambert Chu.

The bylaws authorizing all the expenditures will likely be given final adoption at a council meeting next month.

Permits down

Building permits issued in Burnaby for the first two months of 2018 are lagging behind the record pace set in 2017 but are well ahead of 2016.

A report to council said 252 permits, for a total of $66.9 million, were issued in January and February compared to 290 permits worth $134 million in the first two months of last year.

In 2016, there were 277 permits for $57.3 million, a drastic drop-off from 2015 when there 289 permits worth $81.5 million.