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Engineering firm deems boardwalk unsafe

There’ll be no more people walking above or falling in love under the Blue Heron Boardwalk, as the Town of Barrhead has opted to tear down the local landmark due to safety concerns. On Oct.
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The Town of Barrhead has closed the Blue Heron Walking Trail’s boardwalk because of an engineering report it received from Associated Engineering.

There’ll be no more people walking above or falling in love under the Blue Heron Boardwalk, as the Town of Barrhead has opted to tear down the local landmark due to safety concerns.

On Oct. 8, town councillors unanimously instructed administration to demolish the boardwalk after they accepted a report by Associated Engineering as information.

Council commissioned the report as part of its 2019 budget deliberations and allocated $20,000 within the capital budget to conduct the study.

The report, which is dated Aug. 22, stated the boardwalk does not meet the 2014 Alberta Building Code. Due to the “significant number of elements that are under-designed,” the firm recommended that the structure be closed and be “demolished as soon as possible.”

Chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc said that in consultation with the town’s legal counsel, he decided to close the boardwalk.

“(Our lawyer) said that when you have documented recommendation from an engineer to close a structure to the public and demolish it, you do exactly that,” he said.

As disappointed as he was to learn about the boardwalk’s closure, mayor Dave McKenzie said people should think of it as an opportunity.

“Out of the ashes will rise something even better,” he said, noting he was impressed by the replacement options included in the report.

Associated Engineering provided three basic options to replace the boardwalk section of the trail system.

“By re-imaging the Blue Heron Boardwalk simply as a hard surface trail (as opposed to maintenance-intensive timber passage) that can provide the same positive recreational recreation and connectivity for the community,” the report states.

Also included in the report was a cost estimate of replacing the boardwalk with a similar structure that would align the current path with the roadway near the water treatment plant. The new construction would be about 238 metres long, approximately 90 metres would be the boardwalk itself.

Associated Engineering estimated the cost of the project at $182,000.

Coun. Don Smith said it is an unfortunate fact that facilities have a finite lifespan and it is important for council to have a plan to replace them before it is reached.

Coun. Ty Assaf said it was important to note that the issue with the boardwalk is in its original construction and it had nothing to do with maintenance or the lack thereof.

He added it is an example of why municipalities need to take an active role in community construction projects.

“Municipalities need to get engineers involved,” Assaf said. “So the liability doesn’t fall on them.”

Coun. Dausen Kluin said it was important for staff to be careful when disassembling the boardwalk to disturb as little of the surroundings as possible.

“People use the boardwalk to get see nature, so they need to be careful not to wreck any trees,” he said.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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