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Carbonear councillor may finally see green instead of red at Pergola

By Craig Westcott/September 16, 2022

Carbonear councillor Danielle Doyle soon may no longer have cause to get her back up in a bad way when eyeing the uncompleted landscaping around the town’s Pergola as she performs the downward dog and other positions during yoga class.

The councillor has been raising the issue of the uncompleted landscaping at the Pergola for some time and did so again at this week’s public council meeting.

“For multiple years now I’ve been asking about the grass seed at the Pergola, and it’s always ‘It’s going to be this,’ and “It’s going to be that,’ and ‘We’re going to try this’ and ‘We’re going to try that,’” said Doyle, who is among a number of Carbonear residents who regularly meet at the Pergola for outside yoga classes in the summer. “It is the middle of September and this is year three (since the Pergola was built). I see there (in the agenda) that they (the recreation department) are getting quotes for topsoil and investigating the work. Can we set a deadline that there has to be topsoil and grass seed on the Pergola area by such and such a date?”

Recreation director Rob Button had positive news for the councillor.

“We’ve done a bit of research and we finally have a plan in place,” said Budden, who had prepared a motion in advance for council’s approval to hire Urban Forester to supply and install topsoil, seed, fertilizer and lime on approximately 16,000 square feet of ground in the Pergola area at a cost of $9,088 plus HST. All he needed was a councillor to actually make the motion.

Doyle was happy to do it.

“It seems like we ‘ve been asking a long time for that,” she said. “I’m just happy because Newfoundland Power and Envirofest gave a lot of money to do that green space, and it’s great, it’s beautiful… It was 80 per cent done but it was still rocky in some areas, there’s drainage issues in some areas. For anyone who went to yoga there this summer, there was some wet spots. There were rocks sticking up. And if we’re going to do something to beautify our town, I think we should finish it. I guess now I’ll get after (staff) for more Adirondack chairs and some more picnic tables there. That’s a beautiful green space for our town and Carbonear definitely has one of the nicest waterfront areas with respect to our ponds and the boardwalk and that area, so I’m glad to see it’s finally almost finished.”

Councillor Ray Noel asked Budden to make sure the work is undertaken in a timely manner. “Because it’s getting colder,” he noted.

Budden said he expects Urban Forester will tackle the work as soon as possible. The company had asked to hold off until Labour Day because the summer had been so dry and the seed will take better in moister conditions.

“We need to keep after them, to make sure that’s started very soon,” Noel insisted.

“Will do,” said Budden.

“That was actually my question as well,” said councillor Chris O’Grady. “It’s getting late to be seeding? If it was sods, it would be one thing, but to seed this late in the year?”

Budden said grass seeds can still grow pretty much up to the end of October. “So as long as it’s done in four to six weeks growing time, we’re good,” he added.

Budden also had positive news for another issue that Doyle has been pressing – the replacement of the disabled parking spots outside the town swimming pool.

The two spots were torn up when staff had to fix a leak in a sewer pipe outside the building. That area has now been patched with asphalt, Budden reported, and line painting will be done when public works staff have the time and the weather permits. That will reinstate the wheelchair accessible parking, he said.

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