Park benches, bike racks, receptacles and crimson details are the accoutrements to downtown Trail’s revitalizing makeover currently underway.
As the greening leg of the Victoria Street Corridor project winds down this week, the city is rolling forward to position “street furniture” along the roadway to add character to the refurbished areas.
Over the next few weeks, 12 benches, garbage repositories and 30-plus bollards that match the red details of the minor gateway features, will pop up along the street to create colour and décor.
Bollards are structures used for protection and aesthetic appeal, explained Andrea Jolly, Trail’s communication and events coordinator.
The structural posts are three feet high and were manufactured by Hil-Tech Contracting, the same company that fabricated and installed the trio of minor gateway features located at the intersections of Victoria Street and Pine, Cedar and Bay avenues.
The gateway features act as navigational aids for guests and visitors to the city, and during this phase of improvements, the Cedar Ave. post will be moved across the street for better visibility.
City crews will install the benches, round garbage bins and recycling baskets for cans and bottles, said Jolly, adding that strategic placement of the bike racks is still under review.
So far, the second phase of downtown Trail improvements have gone off without a hitch and remain on schedule to wrap up by September.
Other than short term traffic hold-ups in June during excavations at the Rossland Avenue intersection, traffic delays have been far less than anticipated, Jolly noted.
“There have been no major delays or unforeseen conditions during the project,” she added.
The downtown corridor upgrades are part of the city’s revitalization plan that established a framework of entry features including greenery and streetscape to build urban identity and provide “cues” that a visitor is entering the downtown core.
Earlier this year, Trail council opted to defer the $135,000 major gateway features that were initially prime components of Phase 2 upgrades in an effort to balance a $327,000 budget shortfall.
When further project expenses exceeded the budget’s limit, Trail council agreed to defer an additional $205,000 in streetscape components including a Cedar Ave. information kiosk estimated to cost $57,000 and $8,000 worth of site furniture.
“We are getting into a bit of a bind financially folks,” said Coun. Gord DeRosa during budget talks. “And I think this is a year of a new council coming in and they are going to be facing some pretty steep hills.”
After project deferrals, the overall shortfall for Phase 2 is about $123,000, an amount council consented to pull from the city’s surplus funds account.