Lakeside Priority:
Push Council to pursue legal options to get the construction on Front Rd and King St completed as soon as possible

As most of you know I have been working very hard on this issue for the past four months. To-date we have not seen much progress and so Utilities Kingston will move to take over the site from the contractor as of October 28.

Once they have done so they will move to repave the lanes – including the bike lanes – by mid-November and restore the four lanes to full use for the duration of the winter and much of the spring.

In the intervening period Utilities Kingston will be working to mediate a settlement going forward so that the project can resume construction in the late spring.

Of course, this will mean that the construction disruptions will resume in late spring and with it the lane closures and inconvenience to residents in Lakeside.

I will be working to ensure that:

• Utilities Kingston insists on an expedited construction schedule so that this work gets completed in as quick a timeframe as possible,
• there are significantly more efforts undertaken to safeguard cyclists and pedestrians.
• I will also be pushing for a legal resolution that does not leave local ratepayers on the hook for any cost overruns associated with a dispute between contractors.

Finally, I will be pressing Council to push Utilities Kingston to abandon their current low-bid process of awarding contracts so as to ensure that every successful contract bidder is evaluated to ensure that they have the capacity and experience to get the work done on time and on budget.