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Bloomfield road works project stumbles before it begins

More than two dozen folks filed into Shire Hall on Tuesday. They came with an armload of worries about the impact of ripping up Main Street Bloomfield on their businesses and homes. They’d seen how badly things had gone in Wellington a year ago. They arrived believing Council was considering one of three scheduling options: 1) get it all done right away and potentially be done by June, or 2) do some until May, stop for June, July and August and finish in the fall, or 3) do the business district first, stop for the summer months and finish in September and October. Each option was described in the accompanying report.

Except there were no options 2 and 3. Not by the time the residents pressed Council. Shire Hall had already tendered and awarded the project. This meeting was a formality. It just needed Council’s rubber stamp.

Construction will begin in a few weeks and continue until it is complete—hopefully by June. It was option 1—or nothing at all.

Inexplicably, nobody bothered to explain this to the 21 people who got up to the microphones last week. No one told them the decision had already been made.

THE PROJECT
The plan is to repair storm sewers, replace broken curb and sidewalk panels and resurface the Main St. roadway from Corey Street (mid-village) to Wellington Street (Y intersection toward Wellington). The project is being funded almost entirely by the province through its Connecting Links program. It is funding that contributes to the upkeep of stretches of in-between streets connecting roads the province still owns and manages (Highway 62, for example). The Glenora ferry is also a provincial asset. The Loyalist Parkway between these two points is considered a Connecting Link.

The work is set to start next month and take about 12 weeks to complete, though the contractor estimates it could be done sooner— perhaps as little as eight weeks.

THE WORRIES
Many Bloomfield folks are wary about the proposed roadwork project, particularly after the experience in Wellington last year, where—like Bloomfield—there are no easy or obvious detour routes. Residents and businesses in Wellington endured noise, disruption and hardship for many months.

At the time, Council dismissed the complaints in Wellington as overwrought griping. Now, at least some council members understand that big mistakes were made.

“It all comes down to project management,” said Councillor John Hirsch. “We all know how it failed in Wellington.”

Business owners worry that a similar experience in Bloomfield could destroy their investment and livelihood.

Residents and business owners came to Shire Hall last week to voice their support for an option that would spare them disruption during the peak summer months.

DISAPPEARING OPTIONS
In response to a deputation, Mayor Steve Ferguson advised a resident, “Nothing is predetermined.” But, in all practical terms, the decision had, in fact, been predetermined. As everyone present or watching on the livestream last Tuesday evening would soon learn.

Near the end of the meeting, Wellington council member Corey Engelsdorfer proposed Council choose Option 3—do the Main Street work until May and return in September. It was the stated wish of most of the folks in the gallery. It had been presented as an option in the staff report.

Shire Hall staff then had to explain that the decision had already been made. The tender had been let and awarded. They were proceeding with Option 1. There were no other options available.

Staff explained that changing course at this late stage would likely mean cancelling the tender and starting again. It would mean pushing the work until next year, with no assurance that provincial funding would be available.

The only options on the table last week were to move forward or kill the project. Up or down.

“Why do we put on these PICs (project information centre sessions) presenting three options, if we don’t listen to the public?” asked Councillor Engelsdorfer. “I don’t understand why we do them. Instead, here we are, stuck with no alternative.”

LEARNING TO COMMUNICATE

Shire Hall engineering staff acknowledged that mistakes were made in Wellington—and that they had learned from that experience.

The County’s Garrett Osborne said he would manage the project directly and be on-site regularly. He added that a member of the contracting engineering team would be present and visible every day during the project to manage concerns as they arise.

Digital signs will indicate that businesses remain open. Short video content will be produced to share project updates and alert to potential disruptions. Additional parking has been offered by a nearby church.

“We learned from the experience in Wellington,” said Osborne. “Outreach will be proactive.”