By Joel van der Veen
KENASTON — A highway intersection east of Kenaston will stay the way it is for the foreseeable future, after it was discussed at a meeting held in the village last month.
The meeting, held May 8 at Kenaston Place, brought together representatives from local governments and officials from the provincial ministry of highways and infrastructure to discuss a proposed redesign of the junction of highways 11 and 15.
Kenaston Mayor ML Whittles reported that officials were responsive to local concerns and said the ministry would delay the redesign of the intersection, also pledging to bring local stakeholders on board as part of a steering committee.
She quoted Jennifer Fertuck, the ministry’s acting director of regional asset management for the central region, as saying: “For the time being, Highway 15 will remain where it is today and receive regular maintenance to ensure serviceability.”
“It was an exceedingly good meeting,” said Whittles. “We felt that we were heard . . . I’m really happy with the outcome.”
Present at the meeting were the councils of both the Village of Kenaston and the Rural Municipality of McCraney, as well as deputy fire chief Ken Remmen of the Kenaston Volunteer Fire Department.
In addition to Fertuck, the ministry was represented by Ron Gerbrandt, assistant deputy minister for design and innovation; Rock Gorlick, executive director for the central region; and Harold Retzlaff, director of transportation planning.
Whittles said the meeting was held to discuss issues with the proposals for the intersection, located just east of the village.
The ministry had offered several proposals for a redesign of the junction, but local officials were concerned about how the plan was moving forward.
“We didn’t like the way that it appeared to be going,” said Whittles, adding that the council believed the proposed redesign would be unsafe and would bring highway traffic closer to the village.
The proposal, which would reshape Highway 15 with an S-curve wrapped partially around the village, would also have limited the possibilities of growth for Kenaston by preventing the development of several lots.
“They were taking too much from us,” said Whittles. “I believed they were set on going one way.”
Council members had communicated their concerns with the public, and a petition circulated at several local businesses collected a total of 169 signatures.
Whittles said the petition gave them ammunition in their talks with the ministry, as it indicated that local officials had the community’s support behind them.
At the meeting, the petition was presented to Gerbrandt, who quickly acknowledged that the local concerns were valid, according to Whittles.
As a result, the ministry announced it would put its plans in limbo, pending the formation of a steering committee that would include local representatives.
Whittles said she was pleased about the community’s response and the outcome of the meeting, adding that the village hopes to move ahead with plans to sell and develop empty lots along the existing Highway 15.
Joel Cherry, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed Thursday that consultations with the public and stakeholders would be part of the process for planning the future of the intersection.
He said any changes to the intersection are “probably a long way off” but added that there is no set timeline.
For the full story, please pick up a copy of the June 8 print edition of The Davidson Leader.