Paula White
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 15/99) - The city of Yellowknife has approved funding for the pre-design and design of a road that would connect Kam Lake industrial park to Highway 3 near the airport.

"It is going to go ahead for sure," said Yellowknife Mayor Dave Lovell. "I've known that for five or six years. The question is when."

The city approved $200,000 during budget meetings in December. The proposed road will extend from the existing FOL site road (located near the airport) to the industrial park. Lovell didn't know exactly how long the idea to build a bypass road has been around, but said it "was certainly on paper" when the FOL road was built about seven years ago.

"Right now, it's the time to do it, I think," he said.

The news that the city has started the ball rolling on construction of the bypass road was welcomed by some property owners in Kam Lake. "I'm sure we'll use it," said Lee Sacrey, controller at NWT Rock Services Ltd. He explained that the company keeps explosives in a building near the airport, "so we won't have to go all the way through town to get there."

John Johansen, manager of Grimshaw Trucking, was also pleased to hear the news.

"I think it's a must," Johansen said, explaining the road would provide an alternate route for truck traffic, including trucks which carry dangerous goods. He pointed out there are three fuel bulk plants situated in Kam Lake.

"I feel a road coming in this way would get trucks carrying dangerous goods off airport road," he said. He added the trucks have to pass residential areas on the way.

"But there's no escape from Kam Lake industrial park, other than the Kam Lake road," he said. "So if there's a rollover or an accident or anything ... there's no way in or out of Kam Lake industrial."

Johansen also made the point that if the city installs power lines along the bypass road, it should make sure they are high enough to accommodate trucks carrying high loads.

"Because that could bring more business into the park," Johansen commented.

Kam Lake property owner Alex Debogorski also mentioned power lines. He greeted the news about the road with some skepticism.

"It's long overdue," he said. "It'll help a little bit."

Lovell said Kam Lake industrial park has, in fact, been neglected over the years as far as development is concerned. But, he said, things are about to change. Among other things, there are plans to finish paving the streets there in the next two years.

Lovell added there is also the possibility the city will service some of the undeveloped lots in Kam Lake with water and sewer lines. This would make them easier to sell.

"About the only way we can afford to build roads is if we can pay for it by selling adjacent lands," Lovell said.

The city rezoned 566 acres of airport land in July to open the way for construction of a diamond sorting and evaluation plant. Some property owners in Kam Lake made presentations to council objecting to the rezoning, saying it would compete directly with Kam Lake and effectively stifle any sort of further development there.

"(It's) an area that's been suffering already for a number of years," Debogorski said.

But Lovell said the state of the property values is not linked to the rezoning of the airport lands.

"Property values have been languishing there, but I don't think airport development is the reason," he said.

Property owners were successful in convincing council to limit the airport zoning to airport-related businesses. Currently, the city has about 30 undeveloped lots for sale in Kam Lake. There are at least 11 properties for sale through various real estate agencies.

It was proposed the bypass road be built in three stages -- predesign and design, construction and paving. It was estimated the entire project would cost about $2 million.