Haliburton Legion president Mike Waller says he’ll be submitting a request to the Ministry of Transportation to install a crosswalk in front of the Mountain Street facility this month.
At an April 22 meeting, Waller told Dysart et al council he feels people need assistance crossing the busy highway, saying he’s seen many near-misses between pedestrians and vehicles recently .
He noted close to 500 people have signed a petition, wanting to see a crosswalk installed by the legion.
“It’s like the old frogger game seeing people trying to cross. We had lots of people out wanting to cross the road so they could vote in the advanced polls [for the federal election], but they couldn’t. It was a bit of a drastic situation,” Waller said.
Mayor Murray Fearrey said the township tried to get a crosswalk installed by the Gardens of Haliburton on the other side of Hwy. 118 going out of town towards Carnarvon a couple of years ago but were turned down. Public works director Rob Camelon told council there’s a “low probability” of obtaining MTO approval for a crosswalk by the legion.
“Staff recommend against consideration of a crosswalk [at the legion] due to likely deficient sight lines along Mountain Street looking eastward, and the proximity of emergency vehicles passing through the area,” Camelon said.
He suggested that, before considering any request, the township conduct a traffic study of the site, costing $6,500. Camelon said deferring the work to 2026 would likely increase the cost to $10,000. If approved by MTO, he estimated the crosswalk would cost $80,000 to $100,000 to install.
Coun. Pat Casey said he’d be in favour of getting a study done in front of the Legion, and on Highland Street in front of Hook, Line and Sinker, which Camelon estimated would cost $13,000.
“If town is evolving, we’ve got to find ways to get people across the road… somebody is going to get killed or hit by a car. I loathe the day when we have to deal with that as a council,” Casey said.
Coun. Barry Boice said Mountain Street is a major concern for him, noting he routinely sees people lining up and waiting to cross the street – most of them seniors.
“I don’t know what we can do, but we’ve got to do something,” Boice said.
Camelon said a study was done near Hook, Line and Sinker about 10 years ago, but a crosswalk wasn’t recommended. He told council that having something like a transportation master plan, which could address requests like this, would be helpful. He noted if council were to approve one request, they may receive others.
Council opted to fund the two studies, with the money to be drawn from reserves. The township also agreed to write a letter of support to MTO.
Other asks
Waller also complained about drivers leaving their vehicles in no-park zones along Mountain Street, often blocking the driveway into the Legion property and an accessible spot in front of the building.
The Legion president asked council to paint new lines on the road, making it clear drivers are to avoid parking in the two spots.
He also tested council’s financial resolve, requesting funding for a commercial generator. He said the building was without power for several days following the March 29 ice storm, meaning it remained closed despite being designated as an emergency shelter.
“We were unable to provide assistance to people who needed it,” Waller said, noting he’s applied for three different grants to pay for a machine, but all have been turned down.
CAO Tamara Wilbee suggested renting a generator would be cheaper than buying one. While Waller didn’t provide a cost, getting one big enough to service the Legion would be well into five figures, whereas renting would be about $4,500 per week. Council did not provide any funds for the generator.
