Streetscape Phase 2 nearing completion

Phase 2 of the City of Woodstock’s Streetscape is nearing completion, but part of the poured concrete sidewalk at Light and Dundas Streets will need to be redone, thanks to footprints. (Lee Griffi Photo).

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The second phase of the $50 million Streetscape project in downtown Woodstock is expected to be finished soon. The city released an update on the project last Friday.

“The south sidewalk and coloured concrete have been completed. Traffic light poles, junction boxes, cabinets, and fixtures have also been installed. The next two weeks will be quite busy on the site. Sidewalks and coloured concrete will be completed on the north side. Street light poles and fixtures will be installed as well as tree grates, guards and trees. Site furnishing will be installed as well as the stamped asphalt.”

The information did warn that much of the outstanding work is weather-dependent, but the schedule should allow for completion of Phase 2 over the next couple of weeks.

Not everything has gone smoothly, however, as a section of the concrete sidewalk at the southeast corner of Dundas and Light Streets will need to be redone after a person or people decided to walk on concrete that wasn’t set. The added cost will be absorbed by Armstrong Paving and Materials Group, who were awarded the tender for Phase 2.

“It’s up to the contractor to replace at their expense. It is their responsibility, and to their benefit since they are responsible for the cost, to protect the area to avoid that type of thing from happening.”

It is standard practice for construction companies to staff concrete areas until they are fully set.

The south block of Dundas Street, between Finkle and Perry Streets, was not included in Phase 2 of the project. While this may not make sense to the average onlooker, City Engineer Harold de Haan explained that there is a practical reason for the decision.

“There is a power divide for the lighting along the south side (Finkle to Perry), as these lights are energized from the east. Since Museum Square is not done yet, the power supply to the lights between Finkle and Perry would not be updated to accommodate the new lights on this block.”

De Haan added the proposed grading of Finkle Street is such that it does not easily blend in with the existing grading to the east.

“With the road grade dropping a couple of inches along this section, including the south side between Finkle and Perry, would have created a grade change in the south lane that would have resulted in poor roadway drainage during the interim between Phase 2 and 3, but also would have resulted in a transition that would have been uncomfortable to drive due to the grade change.”

He added the situation will require reworking the south lane between Finkle and Perry.

“This is very similar to what occurred within Phase 1 between Riddell and Reeve,” explained de Haan.

Coun. Mark Schadenberg brought forward a motion at last week’s regular council meeting to direct staff to bring back options to scale down the proposed city hall expansion. The expansion is being proposed to accommodate the growing population and staff complement, improve public access to services, and create a larger council chamber with additional seating for the public. Staff will report back to council with options.

Part of the thinking for the city hall expansion is to bring as many staff members as possible back under one roof. Currently, some employees are working out of different locations, such as the nearby 21 Market Street, where the city’s economic development and human resources departments perform their duties.

“In a perfect world, it would be terrific and wonderful to have everybody in one building. The problem is it costs way too much, there is no money in any kind of a budget for it, just like there’s no money for the downtown revitalization to the extent it’s gone to,” explained Schadenberg, who added his motion was two-pronged. “If they already have a nice new building (21 Market Street) with a new elevator installed, why the heck would we even think about bringing all those people back to City Hall. They’re just across the street.”

Woodstock awarded the tender to renovate Market Street in the fall of 2023 at a cost of just under $1.5 million.

“Motion number one is for the City of Woodstock to at least explore the opportunity or possibility of taking our city council and planning meetings across the street to the Oxford County Administrative Building. They have a space there that is underutilized.”

Schadenberg said it doesn’t make sense to spend millions of dollars on a new council chamber just for the city to use. The proposal is to construct a new chamber with just over 80 spectator seats, about 50 more than the current site. He added utilizing the OCAB building is a money-saving proposition. The second part of the motion was to look at new designs for the expanded city hall.

Schadenberg voted against the Streetscape project since day one, citing the cost to taxpayers.

Phase 3 (Graham to Riddell), Phase 4 (Vansittart to Light) and Phase 5 (Wellington Street to Beale Street) are included in the capital budget forecast for 2026 to 2028. Each phase will come back for approval as part of the annual budget process over the next three years. The estimated cost of the next three phases is about $10 million.