Cache Creek Council wants to see what widening Mclean Cres. to 10 metres would look like, now that they’ve seen McElhanney’s plans for an eight metre wide street.
The extra two metres will cost over $45,000 in construction, but it’s what the residents wanted, said Mayor John Ranta at the June 9 Council meeting.
The consultants recommended going ahead with the eight metre wide design option “based on the lower cost construction, as well as overall benefit to parking”, adding that a 10 m wide road “will only allow for parking on one side of the street, and leave minimal parking on the boulevard.”
Council rejected their reasoning and asked for a 10 m option to present at a second public meeting for the street’s residents.
Mayor Ranta noted two $10,000 errors in addition on the consultants estimate, bringing the totals up to $488,478 for the eight metre road and $533,285 for the 10 m road.
Administrator Dan Plamondon noted that both totals were still within the Council’s expectations.
Coun. Herb Hofer, who lives on Mclean Cres., said the residents don’t realize that with a 10 m road they’ll lose all of their parking because they all use the boulevard to park their secondary vehicles. He advocated for a rolled curb that would allow residents easy access to their boulevards.
“I disagree with rolled curbs,” said Mayor Ranta, saying they looked cheap and rural.
“We have to remember it’s not just a road for residents of Mclean Cres.,” said Coun. Wyatt McMurray, echoing comments that come up each time the road reconstruction issue is discussed.
A resident of Stage Rd., McMurray said the people who live on Stage Rd. were told that before the road was redone in 2002, just as the residents of Mclean Cres. have been told.
“The people on Stage Rd. would rather have left the road untouched,” he said. “We could park anywhere, but everyone else wanted it changed.”
Plamondon cautioned council that the estimate could be low and that the tenders could come in much higher.
Treasurer Gayle Olson noted that the estimate didn’t include the consultant’s fee either.