A Drayton company is seeking permission to upgrade its property by adding culverts and closing in a ditch along the road in front of the business on Industrial Drive.
Jack Bosman, vice-president of Norwell Dairy Systems, told council at its Aug. 14 meeting there are currently three culverts connecting the company’s property to the road. However, the open ditch area in between is difficult to maintain.
Bosman would like to connect all the ditch area with culverts and cover them with appropriate fill and topsoil, “to make this site much more attractive.
“It would just make it a lot neater on my property,” said Bosman, who stated his company is prepared to foot the bill for the work.
Mayor Bruce Whale agreed Bosman’s proposal would improve the look of the property and the industrial park.
“I don’t think anyone on council is happy with the look of it right now,” said Whale. However, he noted the change would affect more than just the Norwell Dairy Systems property.
“This was our first attempt at creating an industrial park and, at that time, the route decided upon was open ditch, and the engineers are still recommending open ditch,” said Whale.
Included in the council package was a June 7 report from the engineering firm of R.J. Burnside and Associates. The report notes the subdivision was designed with a rural cross section with open ditches, and indicates several concerns about modifying the design, including the need to install sub-drains in order to prevent potential road heaving. The engineers state a swale would still be needed on top of the culvert in order to intercept runoff.
“By replacing the ditch with a swale and culvert, there is a potential for water to pond up along or on the road, which can cause erosion and/or potential safety issues,” the report states.
Other issues to consider include “setting a precedent” and the long-term maintenance requirement of additional infrastructure.
Bosman noted there is currently “minimal water run-off” reaching the ditches.
While acknowledging the engineering concerns, councillor Neil Driscoll felt council should take some action.
“Water doesn’t flow there now, so culverts aren’t going to hurt. Our engineer probably does recommend the open ditch, but something’s not working, so why don’t we just fix it?” Driscoll asked.
“We would have to go back to our engineers, but certainly we could do that,” Whale replied.
Councillor Mike Downey pointed out that water from an additional 25 acres behind Bosman’s property is supposed to run to the roadside ditches as well.
“Even though there is not a lot of water there today, there could be in the future. I’m not in opposition, but I would want to have an engineer’s report,” Downey stated.
Council agreed to consult with public works director Larry Lynch and the project engineers before making a final decision.
