Leamington and the County of Essex are feuding over who should pay to replace crumbling curb as part of building new trails along Seacliff Dr. — and it could sideline the project.
"We've run into a bit of a glitch with county council," says John Paterson, Leamington's mayor.
He says the town's position is that the county should pay to replace the curb.
"It's not our asset. It's not our responsibility," says Paterson. "Why would we invest Leamington taxpayers money in replacing the curb and gutter for the county? It's their stuff."
The county says the cost to replace the curbing should be shared as part of its trails program, the County Wide Active Transportation System (CWATS), meaning an $894,000 bill for Leamington and a $600,000 bill for the county for a major section of the trail.
Paterson calls the situation frustrating.
"I see the south shore — the Leamington, Kingsville area — not being looked on as favourably as the north shore which seems to be getting all sorts of new roads and everything built," says Paterson.
The curbing costs have shot the total Seacliff Dr. trail project up from an estimated $960,000 to $2.36-million.