The municipality will be moving forward with repairs to Chatham’s Fifth St. bridge and Third St. bridge as needed.
On Monday night, Chatham-Kent municipal staff approached council with a request for an Environmental Assessment (EA) to be done for downtown Chatham. The EA would have explored the different options available in improving traffic flow, which included the possibility of getting rid of a bridge.
A few councillors voiced their concerns regarding the cost of having an EA done - especially since the exact cost of the study is unknown.
As a result, council did not approve the request.
Chatham Councillor Brock McGregor says he understands and shares the hesitation towards having an EA done.
"We've seen it before that some of these assessments have been done and then we chose not to go forward with the recommendation and I think that's a valid concern and probably the biggest reason it didn't go forward," says McGregor.
However, he says he appreciates the notion of exploring all of the options.
"When we're looking at trying to maintain what we currently have, we need to look at better ways to address how we're renewing infrastructure and making sure we're making smart choices - not just for the next two year [or] the next five years, but the next 20 and 25," he says.
In regards to the several projects slated for downtown Chatham, council had voted in favor of replacing the existing sidewalks that are in poor condition.
"I think that that's long, long overdue," says McGregor. "I think it's really important that we're going to see some renewal downtown and that's going to be the first piece of a really important plan moving forward."
As stated in the report, the downtown sidewalks will be replaced in 2017 and funding will be taken from funds already set aside for the Downtown Revitalization project.