Big Hoddinott of Martin’s Camp and Peter Street manager of Nipissing Forest Resource Management check Restoule-area maps during a public information meeting on April 23. They’re looking for possible alternate routes that would take logging trucks around the village of Restoule, rather than through the main street.
RESTOULE – Close to 200 area residents attended a public information session at the Restoule community centre on April 23 where they delivered an overwhelming message to Nipissing Forest Resource Management (NFRM) to keep logging trucks off the main thoroughfare.
While the purpose of the information session was to present NFRM’s new 10 plan for the area, residents focused on the plan’s new proposed logging road routes, one through an unopened road allowance in Nipissing Township, the other through the hamlet’s main street.
The residents came well prepared, having held their own public meeting on April 17, as reported in the April 23 Almaguin News. Although two NFRM presentations were scheduled, each to last about 15 minutes, discussions from the 5 p.m. session lasted till 6:30 p.m. and the 7 p.m. presentation went to 8 p.m. as concerned citizens volleyed a continuous list of concerns to NFRM representatives.
Peter Street, NFRM manager, was hard pressed to explain why his company had requested use of the Nipissing road allowance that would detour logging trucks from the current Sand Lake Road route onto Hwy. 534, and away the main thoroughfare, citing safety concerns in the hamlet, yet would then propose to construct a new logging road that would have trucks travel along that same, “unsafe” route.
“If we bring trucks through town using both Sand Lake Road and the new road from Loring, we would have doubled the amount of traffic through town. By opening the road allowance, we’ve cut that trucking traffic in half,” said Street.
His answer didn’t satisfy residents concerned the proposed new logging road from Loring would see trucks passing by concealed entryways, two churches, a baseball field, the commercial area, and across a one-lane bridge that is the only connection between two sections that make up the Restoule community. Safety concerns for children and pedestrians, as well as ongoing maintenance costs for local road upkeep, were also issues mentioned repeatedly.
“If something happens to that bridge (because of the fully loaded trucks) you have split our community in half with our emergency services on one side, and no way to answer fire calls from the other side,” said Anne Board.
Street pointed out that the bridge, estimated to be 80 years old, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) which has verbally assured NFRM that it is up to the stress of approved load weights. When pushed by citizens in attendance, however, he admitted that MTO had provided nothing in writing to back up its claim, and agreed that “we need to get something in writing from an MTO engineer. We need some facts here and the bridge will not be used unless it’s safe.” He added “if the bridge failed, and our trucks are not overloaded, it would be up to MTO to replace it. If our trucks are overloaded, it’s Tembec’s problem.”
When asked how long it might take to restore the bridge, Street said he had been in discussions with MTO about that. He said he had been told the Ministry “stockpiles” a number of Bailey bridges to be set up in emergencies, that could be installed in as little as 48 hours.
That did little to alleviate concerns about a community physically divided by the lack of a road, with one resident pointing out, “it takes a lot less than 48 hours for a house to burn to the ground.”
Street had no answer when one forward-thinking resident asked what would happen if the bridge survived the 10-year proposed use by the logging trucks, but due to stress and vibration from the logging activity, were to collapse after logging the area ceased. “You’ll be out of here, and MTO can say it wasn’t the bridge, it was overloaded trucks. With no proof, we’ll be left without a bridge and having to pay for a new one,” he said.
Street’s pledge to “find solutions” to the residents’ concerns was met with the comment, “there’s always a solution to everything, once it’s been screwed up. We want answers now.”
The need for a new road to connect Loring area logging activities with an access route to destinations in Mattawa and Timiskaming, comes after NFRM recently received letters from private landowners. The landowners live along the current Golden Valley route and they no longer want the trucks running through their property. Acknowledging the Restoule community’s resistance to the proposed road through the village, Street repeatedly asked for suggested options from those in attendance.
“We are willing to entertain alternate routes,” he said. “If you have a suggestion let us know.”
“Our suggestion is that you not bring the trucks through town,” Street was told. “After that it’s up to you to find the options. It shouldn’t be up to us.”
Although there were fewer concerns expressed about the opening of the Nipissing road allowance, Street said he had received comments from a local bed and breakfast owner who has property adjacent to the allowance, and stressed that MNR guidelines would apply regarding concerns from hunt camp owners along the roadway.
“In addition to focusing on managing the deer habitat, we will not be harvesting on the hunters’ land, and will notify them when we are harvesting on Crown land in their areas,” Street said.
Everyone attending the information session was given a comment sheet to fill out and return to NFMR, with Street pledging that each person who comments would receive a reply in writing. Those not at the meeting have 60 days to bring their concerns to NFRM’s attention.
“We’re going to take all the information we receive and try to mitigate your concerns,” he said. “We are also willing to host a couple of summer information session in order to get input from the area’s summer residents.”
A draft of the new management plan is expected to be ready for additional comments by late August.
Editorial
