Wellington North wants Arthur to see the light – especially at two busy intersections in town.
The works report sent to council on Oct. 6 noted two sets of lights in Arthur are in desperate need of upgrades.
That was emphasized when the one control unit was vandalized.
The estimated repairs are $32,000 per set of lights.
Works Superintendent Gary Williamson said the work may need to be done soon since the system has just been patched together to get by, but parts no longer exist to make proper repairs.
A meeting with the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is being arranged to see if there may be funding available and Williamson reported he had already contacted Wellington County for cost sharing, since the location of the lights are at the intersections of County Road 14 and Charles Street.
Williamson was informed that a formal written request would need to be submitted to the county for consideration.
Williamson said the lights were upgraded at the time of amalgamation, “But you can’t get parts anymore.” He said upgrades to the signal lights in Mount Forest were funded as part of a reconstruction project; this, however, is considered as maintenance – which is generally not funded by the MTO.
In talking with Wellington County representatives, Williamson said that generally the idea is to ask for funding from the upper tier.
But if the MTO backs out, then the county would be the upper tier, he added.
If the county chooses not to assist in funding, the project and the municipality must cover the costs.
Williamson added that the costs would likely be spread over two years.
He said after the first set of lights is replaced, those parts would be used to patch up the second set of signal lights until they can be replaced in the following year.
