Popular pit stop blocked off
City wants to keep traffic out of empty lot near Bristol Monument while cleaning up old spills
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Friday, May 16, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Access to a popular pit stop where truckers can pull over to rest has been blocked off by the city in the hope that the land can eventually be sold to a developer.
The city has placed large boulders around the empty lot on the corner of Old Airport Road and Highway 3. It hopes to clean up soil that has been contaminated by oil spills so the land can be sold. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
Two years ago, Marvin Robinson, former president of RTL Robinson Trucking, submitted a proposal to the city to build a gas bar and truck stop on the empty gravel lot at the foot of the Bristol Freighter Monument on the corner of Old Airport Road and Highway. 3 - an area now encircled by oversized boulders.
But after an environmental assessment of the property revealed it was contaminated with oil and other fluids commonly associated with motor vehicles, the decision was made to clean the site up first before trying to sell it.
According to Jeff Humble, the city's director of planning and development, multiple parties have since expressed an interest in developing the site.
"Our end project is to hopefully get the project back on the market and get it developed," he said.
Humble said the city is waiting to get an estimate on how much the cleanup will cost before sending it out to tender.
Although that work will likely not begin until some time this summer, Dennis Kefalas, the city's senior administrative officer, said the boulders will prevent vehicles from further polluting the area in the meantime.
"No one comes forward when they have a spill or if their truck is leaking oil or fuel," he said.
"If we don't do that, the area will continue to be contaminated and continue to grow."
Kefalas said truckers that need somewhere to rest can use parking lots at city facilities such as the Yk Community Arena or the Multiplex.
He added that a path has been cleared so tourists can still access the Bristol Monument's airplane, which was the first to land on skis at the North Pole in 1967.
