Council unmoved by resident's complaint of pothole damage

by Andy Campbell

Feb 28, 2008

SUNDRIDGE – While most residents are concerning themselves with icy, snow-covered roads, the topic of rain and potholes provided a lively debate at Strong council on Feb. 12.

Local resident Jane Broxup attended the meeting to discuss damage to a rental car she was driving, as well as the condition of Machar-Strong Boundary Road in general.

“I don’t want to be a nag, I just want a safe road,” she said.

Broxup damaged the wheel of a rental car when she struck a pothole last November. She took photographs, but did not submit a claim to the township until much later, when she decided that it was important to her. The cost was a mere $171, but that wasn’t the point. Broxup claimed that the road had deteriorated because it had not been graded in weeks.

“October was wet, wasn’t it?” asked councillor Merlyn Snow.

Road superintendent Dave Pringle confirmed that, but Broxup insisted that the road’s condition deteriorated gradually, not due to a sudden downpour.

Mayor Steve Rawn noted that the weather last fall was very inconsistent.

“The temperature was up and down,” he said. “The roads really went to pieces.”

Councillor Vi Montpetit suggested that a road can deteriorate quite quickly in bad weather, so it might be difficult to judge how recently a road has been graded.

Rawn suggested that to damage a wheel, speed had to be a factor.

“How fast could I be going on a road like this?” asked Broxup.

Councillor Chris Ellis pointed out that Broxup’s road has had more work recently than many in the township. It might need more, but so do others. Ellis suggested that if the road crew was not able to grade the road, there must have been a greater need elsewhere.

Broxup insisted that the township’s minimum standard is to grade at least every 10 days. She was told that while that is the aim, routine grading sometimes has to take a backseat to more pressing problems. Pringle noted that weather is a big factor.

“If it’s pouring rain, I can’t get out there and grade the roads,” he said.

Ellis said that the road crew is working hard, and township roads, on the whole, have improved in recent years. The roads aren’t perfect, but that is the reality.

“We’re all living on the Strong Township roads,” Ellis told Broxup. “It’s not just your road. Everyone at this table has to avoid potholes on a regular basis.”