Councillor John Barclay announced at the council meeting of June 18 that the new lights would be installed at the bridge where 63-year-old Gary Boal was killed in 2017. “There was a bit of an agitation at the time to try and get some lights on that bridge,” Councillor Barclay said at the meeting. “It became something that when elected I really wanted to attack.”
Councillor Barclay says that after working with Director of Public Works Karen Dunlop and speaking with the County, they were able to get the ball rolling. The lights were installed on Thursday and Friday last week in the hopes of making that section of County Road 43 safer for both pedestrians and motorists. “It is a good news story that is unfortunately based on a tragedy,” Councillor Barclay said.
Mayor Nancy Peckford said that while it would have been nice to wait to have the lights included in the overhaul of County Road 43, she believes it was prudent to spend some of the municipality’s resources now to better ensure both pedestrian and vehicular safety. “It will take a couple of years for that bridge to be rebuilt, so as much as we might have wanted to have waited for the big County Road 43 overhaul, I think this was the best way to go at this stage of the game,” she said.
Sixty thousand dollars was earmarked in this year’s budget for the project; however, Karen says it is likely that it will cost less. “We do anticipate it will be tens of thousands under the budgetary allotment,” she said.
