‘When will the curbs be fixed?’ wonder Carbonear councillors

By Mark Squibb

Warm temperatures in recent weeks have made short work of all that snow on the ground, and some folks seem cautiously optimistic that maybe, just maybe, spring is around the corner.

But, as the Swedish proverb says, what’s hidden in the snow is revealed in the thaw, and the layer of garbage revealed by snow thaw this time of year is an unpleasant site.

Residents in Carbonear, it seems, have discovered something else in the thaw — broken curbs.

“I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls and complaints now that the snow is melted, about curbs broken up,” councillor Danielle Doyle reported at last week’s council meeting.

She asked public works director Ian Farrell when staff will be able to address the issue, so that she could have an answer for residents who put the question to her.
Farrell said staff will address the issue once weather permits, though warm weather staff have not yet been recalled to work.

“We’re playing it by ear right now, and transitioning, but if someone wants a piece of curb, say in front of their property, addressed, they can call in and put in a service request, and we’ll add it to our list,” said the public works director.

Farrell said large sections of curb are done at the same time so as to be financially efficient.
Deputy Mayor Sam Slade concurred with Doyle and noted there is a particularly large section of broken curb near the old gym on Water Street and another bad section near the top of Church Hill. Slade suggested staff address the Church Hill curb as soon as possible as pieces had come loose and fallen into the street.
Councillor Peter Snow noted that curbs near Carbonear Academy are gently sloped towards the pavement, which he believed allows for easier (and less destructive) snow clearing.

He wondered whether staff could replicate this design across town so as to avoid having to fix the same section of curb year over year.
Farrell said it’s something staff have been looking into, adding the curb along Bannerman Street near the Canada Post building takes advantage of the new design.