Township prepared to offer compromise on Copeland Lake Road

Craig Bakay | Nov 11, 2020

Addington Highlands isn’t interested in assuming 135 metres at the end of Copeland Lake Road but they are willing to meet with the residents making the request to do some repairs, Council decided at its regular meeting last Tuesday in Flinton.

Fifteen residents at the end of road sent a petition to the Oct. 6 Council meeting asking the Township to assume ownership and thus maintenance of the road.

“The property owners at the east end of Copeland Lake Road have noticed a dramatic deterioration of this 135-metre section of road,” said an accompanying letter written by representative Jessica Root. “This is due to an increase of motorized activity use combined with environmental factors.

“Located at the east end of Copeland Lake Road, there is a plot of Crown Land which attracts a variety of outdoor enthusiasts to the area.”

Public Works Manager Brett Reavie said he’d looked at the road and “the damage they’re concerned with has nothing to do with 4-wheelers. It’s water running off the land.”

Reavie said he’d costed out how much bringing that section of the road up to a standard where the Township could assume it (because of liability and insurance standards) and it would be in the neighbourhood of $43,680.

“That’s quite a bit,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

Reavie said he used MTO rates and “it’s more than fair.”

“People buy properties with the understanding that it’s an unmaintained road so I’d have a bit of a problem with (assuming) it,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson.

“And there’s more than that one road out there,” said Hogg.

Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch pointed out that Addington Highlands doesn’t have a written policy on assuming roads.

“It’s not unusual to get a request to take over a piece road but we usually deal with it on an ad hoc basis,” he said.

“Is there some sort of spot maintenance compromise we could do?” asked Coun. David Miles.

“We have done such things in the past,” said Fritsch. “If they contribute $5,000 and we contribute $5,000 . . . but we’re not taking it over.”

“Something could definitely be done to improve drainage for $10,000,” said Reavie.

Council passed a motion to contact the residents group to see if they’d be interested in that sort of arrangement.

• • •

A request from the Griffith and Watawatchan Snowdusters snowmobile club to re-route existing trail E101 from Griffith to Denbigh Lake through the hamlet of Denbigh because of property issues was tentatively approved pending a meeting on-site between the club and Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch.

Said permission would be subject to several conditions including no groomers allowed on Township Roads, the club accepts that it is a Township Road and as such would be plowed and sanded (and that there are no shoulders that snowmobiles could use to avoid bare spots and sand, and there would be signage to warn people of potential hazards.