Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Longtime motorcycle rider Ken Pearman has an offer for those running for city council this October.

"Anyone coming to my door as a candidate is invited to ride on the back of my motorcycle to see Finlayson Drive, Dagenais Drive and Johnson Crescent," he said.

"They are terrible to drive down."

Pearman isn't alone. Of residents who were contacted in the Frame Lake South area, many admitted street conditions remain a common gripe.

Last March during a municipal services committee meeting, director of corporate services Carl Bird told council that Dagenais was among the worst streets in the city and probably as bad as Deh Cho Boulevard in Kam Lake.

"Dagenais Drive in Frame Lake South, which is a fairly commonly used road, is what we would consider in a failed state of repair in our asset management plan," said Bird.

In April, council agreed to borrow $20 million for infrastructure repairs to fix crumbling roads and water and sewer lines across the city. A good chunk of that money will go to the costly replacement of corrugated metal piping, particularly on Dagenais and Finlayson, which are among the highest priorities for the city.

As well, the city has estimated that a total of $24 million will go toward roads and sidewalks over the next five years.

Wendy Meek, a resident on Dagenais, named the repair of her street as her number one issue in the municipal election.

"There is a couple who moved in across from us a month ago and the city put two pylons out in front of their house, cut out a piece of road and put gravel there," she said, calling the road a "washboard.

"How would you like to newly move to Yellowknife and see that this is how the roads get fixed?!"

Sewer lines breaks are an ongoing issue, but the response from the city has been slow, said Meek.

"They will only patch it and away they go. If that is what my taxes are supposed to pay for, well they haven't done a very good job."

Pearman, who lives on Banke Crescent, said Finlayson is just as bad as Dagenais, which is especially troubling because it is the main road through the neighbourhood. He said by his count there are 23 "cut outs" on Finlayson.

Andy McMullen, a resident on Tees Court, off of Finlayson, had many of the same sentiments as Meek with regard to getting a return for his property taxes.

"As a taxpayer, I am kind of sick of paying increased taxes every year and driving on crap roads, while at the same time they try to make things pretty," he said.

"The city needs to stop dreaming in environmental terms and start managing the municipality as a business. We're just not getting the services that we are paying for."

As for Johnson Crescent, some say the road just needs to be torn up and resurfaced.

"Definitely the roads, they are atrocious and brutal," said Joe Landev, who has lived on this street for 15 years.

He said the entire area of Frame Lake South is in need of street repairs. If the city is to spend the money, he wants to ensure the work is done properly, because "there is essentially a culvert in the middle of the street."

In recent years he has seen patch work and "Band-aid treatments," that haven't been sufficient.

"As a taxpayer we are getting a whole lot of nothing," said Landev.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.