Another Budget Detail

I drove down both Bayview and Yonge to Bloomington Road a couple of times during the holiday.

Once in the dark on Christmas night and once in daytlight on New Year's Eve.

My quest was for sidewalks.

On Yonge, the sidewalk curves around Vandorf Sideroad and ends shortly therein. On Bayview it curves around the north-west corner of Stone Road and continues .

In the budget, we have $75Ks for a needs assessment of sidewalks, bicycle path,illumination and boulevard on Bloomington Road from Yonge to Bayview and Yonge to Bathurst.

Bloomington Road is our southern boundary shared with Richmond Hill.

West from Yonge Street to Bathurst, there is no residential development and none likely in the near future. Provincial property, Blue Hills Academy and a couple of high schools are located on the North side. The south side has residents of Richmond Hill.

East from Yonge to Bayview has two roads running parallel; Old Bloomington which is ours and strictly local and the Regional Road.

The key factor is the absence of sidewalk leading north from Bloomington on Bayview. Yonge or Bathurst. Sidewalks, bicycle paths boulevards and illumination would serve a minimal number of town residents and take them nowhere except along Bloomington Road.

Original figures in the works budget for these two projects were in excess of $600Ks apiece.

Money does need to be spent on sidewalks. There are more gaps than sidewalks in the urbanised areas of the town that need to be filled and are unlikely to be paid for by developers.

When an illogical proposal is made, I still tend to look for reason. What's going on behind the scenes that brought this idea forward? Who made a visit to the Mayor with a request for sidewalks on Bloomington Rd ?

My suspicion may be unwarranted. Unfortunately, experience says otherwise.

I suspect $75Ks in the budget to spend on a consultant will produce politically expedient advice. It will look like a move in the right direction.

Like the one on the Nokidaa Trail/ Mackenzie Marsh/ Hadley Grange Nature Reserve?. $50Ks to produce a rationale for not making a decision after almost a year of endless and fruitless "consultation" .