HUMBOLDT — Parts of Saskatchewan Avenue and 101st Street will be paved as the city takes advantage of provincial infrastructure funding designed to stimulate the economy.
To pave Saskatchewan Avenue from Third Street to its eastern end and 101st Street from Second Avenue to its southern end is expected to cost $260,000.
The city will contribute $140,000 using money from the provincial Municipal Economic Enhancement Program. The remaining $120,000 has already been paid by nearby property owners.
“When they purchased those lots from the city, they were advised that in their purchase prices was an amount that would be allocated for paving when the city would proceed to do that,” said Joe Day, Humboldt’s city manager.
Rob Muench, Humboldt’s mayor, said paving the streets has been something that’s been in the back of his mind.
“These people have paid for this already. I think, in all honesty, they've waited long enough for this.”
Day said there’s a reason why the city has avoided doing the project.
“One of the reasons that the city was holding off on doing any paving work of this area for so long was that there was some thought that growth was happening so rapidly in the city that we would be subdividing, servicing and selling lots on the south side of Saskatchewan Avenue and even on the east side of 101st Street so quickly that we would just wait for that to happen before we proceed.”
The city manager said the pace of residential growth has slowed down to the point they don’t foresee such a development in the near future.
Humboldt received a total of nearly $844,000 from the Municipal Economic Enhancement Program, which is part of the province’s response to the pandemic. It will spend the money on eight projects.
There were two other civic utility-focused projects council approved at its June 22 meeting.
$20,000 will be spent on a study to examine Lift Station #1's capacity and the 16th Street storm drainage system
At least an additional $89,000 will be used to expand the amount of work being done to replace water mains of 16th Street in 2021.
