Shane LaFontaine, M.Eng., P.Eng., and Marvel Hormiz, P.Eng., of RC Spencer Associates Inc., appeared before Council to present an overview of the Engineer's Report for the 4th Concession Drain.
Following his presentation, Mr. LaFontaine reiterated that the purpose of this Meeting is only to discuss the technical aspects of the Engineer's Report and that the Court of Revision Meeting is where assessment questions will be answered and any assessment appeals will be heard.
Dave Clingan, 6355 Howard Avenue, inquired how the shapes of the banks will be determined, which trees/vegetation would be removed, and what work was being done on the drain between Howard and Huron Church Line (County Road 7). Mr. Lafontaine advised that the drain banks will only be modified if the existing capacity at a particular section of the drain is inadequate. He advised that to keep the disruption minimum, only one side of the bank will be disturbed/modified. With respect to tree removal, only trees that are required to be removed as part of re-grading or to obtain access will be removed as part of the project. Specific to the Howard and Huron Church Line section of the drain, Mr. Lafontaine advised that if required, the south bank would be disturbed, which may include the removal of trees. Mr. Lafontaine indicated that there would be a clean out of brush and debris but is not anticipating substantial widening of the drain in that section as capacity is adequate.
Lorenzo Costa, 8090 Disputed Road, inquired why LaSalle property owners must pay for this project when it is his understanding that the project is occurring because of development outside of LaSalle. M. Cappucci, Manager of Engineering, responded that property owners are assessed based on their usage of their portion of the drain. He also said that questions about the assessment schedule can be directed at the Court of Revision Meeting.
J. Osborne, Director of Public Works, stated that when a drainage project is initiated as a result of development, any benefit to that developer, and any drain work resulting from development, the developer pays for the entire drain project.
Mr. Lafontaine noted that this project was initiated as a drain cleanout and re-establishing an adequate capacity throughout the length of the drain. It was not initiated by any one developer or associated with any developments.
Craig Wood, 8520 Disputed Road, inquired how the project would affect his property. Mr. Lafontaine responded that access for this section of the drain would be from the north side, and any tree removal will be to access the property. The intent is to remove any bank failures from the north side and provide the capacity required in that section. There will be a significant drain clean-out, which includes removing brush and debris to ensure that nothing is restricting the drain's capacity. It is anticipated to be two months of construction time for the entire project.
Jim Rodriguez, 8080 Broderick Road, inquired what percentage of overall improvement based on an average year you might expect to see after completing this project. Mr. Lafontaine responded that the intent of the project is to limit the potential for flooding upstream, that the drain provides adequate capacity throughout, and that completing this work prevents the compounding of any issues observed in the drain.
Lazo Dragicevic, 7555 Broderick Road, inquired about his property's roadside ditch cleanout. M. Cappucci, Manager of Engineering, advised that this is a separate issue from this meeting and that he will address his concerns after the meeting.