Now that the snow is gradually melting away, and the grass is starting to be exposed, City of Estevan employees are shifting more from the winter to the spring duties.
Hopefully we’ve experienced the last blizzard, the final powerful snow storm, and the last coating of freezing rain. We can put the big snow clearing equipment away, and worry about how the water is going to drain away once it finally melts.
Drainage hasn’t been a big issue, at least not yet. Despite all the snow, we haven’t had giant puddles forming on our streets.
It’s also time to start thinking about potholes. There’s not much that can be done for now, not until the hot mix is ready to be poured. The temporary solution of cold mix will have to be a reality for at least a few more weeks.
So we get to duck and dodge those accursed potholes, and plan our routes accordingly to avoid the worst areas of the city.
We have some projects to look forward to this year, most notably the expansion of King Street, which means the arterial route will finally be four lanes all the way from 13th Avenue to Kensington Avenue. We can look forward to the resurfacing on King Street from Souris Avenue North to Arthur Avenue, which means we can safely use the south lane on King Street.
But there are a couple of projects that were initiated last year that need to continue, even though the city might not have as much money as they thought they would, due to a possible reduction in municipal operating grants from the provincial government.
The first would be the asphalt patches for segments of roads affected by water and sewer main breaks. This was something that started last year, and actually had a very positive impact.
When it was first announced, there was some skepticism as to how much of an impact these asphalt patches would have. After all, Estevan has a lot of crumbling roads, and this seemed like a Band-Aid solution.
And while there are a lot of roads that still need long-term remedies, the patches helped improve the state of many roads.
The asphalt patches were included in the initial budget this year. We hope they won’t be cut.
The other item would be the beautification efforts launched last year prior to the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games. Estevan has never looked better than it did before the Games.
The boulevards on Souris Avenue North look a lot better with the new paving stones. It would be nice to see the design carried over to other areas of the city.
The appearance of our parks also took a big leap forward. There is still a lot of work to be done in many of the parks, but we also have to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the parks won’t be brought up to an outstanding appearance in one year, either.
The emphasis on city beautification can’t end now we aren’t hosting the Games. Efforts to improve our city’s appearance need to be well-funded every year.
