Richer sidewalk project reduced due to high cost

The LUD of Richer had to adjust its summer sidewalk construction plan after all quotes came in over budget. 

“This year, they had planned on putting a little bit longer of a repair than what they ended up with," says Paul Saindon, Reeve for the R.M. of Ste. Anne. "As soon as they priced it out, they realized that [the sidewalk] wasn't probably exactly at the right place. So, they decided to move it completely over, which means removing the old one and then of course starting from scratch on the new sidewalk. So, the cost went up a fair bit.”

Compared to the old sidewalk on Dawson Road in Richer, the new sidewalk is wider and a few feet closer to the street.

The initial length was 2,175 feet. 

“They ended up having to reduce the length of sidewalk, but they have done a good chunk of it regardless,” he says.

Saindon notes they had applied for some infrastructure grants in an effort to cover some of the additional expenses.

"For whatever reason, they were denied on that," he reports. "So, they're kind of stuck at what they had in their budget.” 

All quotes exceeded the $110,000 budget for this project. During the 2022 financial plan, an adjustment was made so that $38,000 of proposed sidewalk construction funding was to be taken from the L.U.D. of Richer Reserve Fund rather than from taxes.

In the end, they were able to put down 1,300 feet of new sidewalk along Dawson Road.