Hanover touts plan for Pansy Road

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This article was published 25/01/2018 (2274 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The RM of Hanover believes it has come up with a unique way to do repairs and upgrades to Pansy Road, and is now seeking input from residents.

A public hearing will be held Feb. 14 to present plans to fix approximately six miles of Pansy Road between Provincial Road 205 and Road 21N.

According to Hanover councillor Dylan Barkman, the road is in a state of disrepair and it’s time for council and residents to decide what they would like to see happen.

Barkman said the road was covered with an asphalt surface treatment back in the late 1980s that is less than an inch thick.

“When it crumbles it makes little craters similar to when you see potholes in town,” he said, adding he has received complaints from residents who have had to take their vehicles in for repairs.

Hanover is now proposing to put down an 1.5 inches of asphalt over the existing surface, which Barkman said “is substantially thicker and a better bridging material.”

The plan is expected to cost $700,000. Hanover is offering to contribute $200,000 from their general fund to the project, collect $75,000 through private donations and $425,000 through taxation on affected residents.

“The reason we are going that route instead of the municipality footing the bill for the whole thing is because of the uniqueness of the project,” Barkman said.

“It’s a big project with six miles of road, but for that six miles of road it affects a relatively small number of people compared to other areas in Hanover.”

Through the proposal a home assessed at $300,000 would pay an additional $410 per year on their taxes for ten years.

Barkman said he knows there will be some residents opposed to an increase in their taxes, but he believes this is the best option to get the project completed and done fairly.

“This is the best case scenario because we do have the municipality funding some of it, and the residents who are getting the benefit from it are funding most of it,” Barkman said.

Barkman said the municipality has already received private donations towards the project and they are confident they will reach their goal of collecting $75,000 in private donations.

Hanover CAO Luc Lahaie said the project would affect 109 residential units out of 249 total properties.

The public meeting for the proposal will take place Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Hanover Municipal Office.

Anyone looking for additional information on the project can call Barkman at 204-371-6298.