The City of Estevan is asking for patience as it continues to finish and develop the parking lot at the Estevan Leisure Centre.
A number of questions and concerns have been raised over the past couple of months regarding the parking lot. The Mercury recently received a letter to the editor criticizing the City for the lack of handicapped parking spaces in the parking lot and accessibility issues for seniors using the facility.
City manager Jim Puffalt said they are looking at creating handicapped parking spots on the north side of Spectra Place to allow for easier access. He added the closest spots to the front of the building would remain handicapped parking spaces.
Puffalt said the best solution would be to create a walkway in the fence between the leisure centre and the Estevan Exhibition grounds as there was in the past.
When Spectra Place was built, the fence had to be removed to allow for construction. It was replaced after the building was completed, but the Estevan Exhibition Association has been unwilling to allow a new walkway in the fence, a decision that has cut off a number of parking stalls which were largely used by seniors attending events at the leisure centre, particularly the Nicholson Centre.
The City has also faced complaints about the curbing and planters in the centre's parking lot. Among the concerns raised is that the curbing is too low and will become hidden under the snow in the winter. Others have claimed the planters have taken away much-needed parking spaces.
Puffalt said he would ask the public to wait and see the finished project, which he acknowledged has taken much longer than the City hoped it would, before casting a final judgment.
"I don't think we are actually losing any spots because everyone parked (all over the place) before," he said. "There was really no rhyme or reason to what was happening there and that is what the curbing is there to provide - two accesses in and out and some rows.
"I think people have to reserve judgment until they see it when it's done; see the line painting, see the curbing, see the landscaping. We are trying not to create just 1,000 square feet of asphalt. We are trying to give it some design, character and softness to it. We know it has gone on forever, but it's a great plan and I don't know that we are losing many spots."
Puffalt said although there is quite a bit of work left to complete, he remains hopeful it will be finished in 2013.
