Local concerned over closure of Old Town parking lot

As Yellowknife’s Old Town parking lot is set to temporarily close, at least one local is raising concerns over the potential impact on the public.

The city announced on Monday that it plans to begin construction to replace a lift station located on the lot on Monday, July 21. Construction is expected to take approximately three years, during which time the parking lot at the corner of Franklin Ave and School Draw Ave will remain closed to public access.

In an update on Tuesday afternoon, after this article was initially published, the city said it would be closing the parking lot on Tuesday, July 22, to allow for final weekend use by the public.

Chris Greencorn, Yellowknife’s director of public works and engineering, told reporters on Tuesday morning that the project will involve the construction of a new lift station and the “demolition and decommissioning” of the current lift station once the new one has been built.

Greencorn said the lift station is “the second most important” in the city’s sewage distribution system.

“It’s old. It’s not meeting the current needs,” he said of the existing lift station. “We expect more development in the section of town, so we need to ensure that it [has] capacity and [is] fully functional so that it’s solid moving forward.”

“It’s very difficult to maintain because there’s so much flow coming into the lift station,” he added. “It’s difficult for staff to remove the sewage in order to maintain the current wet wells.”

Greencorn said the project was first contemplated by the city in 2019, with a pre-design study that addressed the capacity of lift station maintenance, project difficulties, and safety concerns over staff access and maintenance.

Greencorn said the total construction cost of the project is $38 million.

He said the federal government has pledged to pay 75 percent of that cost. If costs overrun, he said the city will be able to access up to $41 million for the project.

Recycling bins currently located in the Old Town parking lot will be removed from service for the duration of the construction project. The city encouraged residents to use alternative recycling depots elsewhere in Yellowknife.

As part of related infrastructure work, the city said the westbound lane of Franklin Avenue will be under construction from Hershman Road to 44 Street for paving.

Citizen concerned over lack of parking lot alternative

Yellowknife resident Craig Thomas owns a boat and said he uses the Old Town parking lot frequently.

He questioned whether the city had considered how closing the parking lot for three years would affect citizens and boat users and if the city had taken proper efforts to find an alternative parking site.

“We already are challenged by a boat launch in Old Town, and the Giant Mine boat launch is already challenged with boats having to be parked up the highway on a busy weekend,” said Thomas.

“This being a city on a big lake where many activities take place, including people who live on the bay here and probably utilize this parking as well … I would think and I would hope that there was some serious consideration for this city to have found, regardless of city property, alternatives prior to the beginning of your construction on July 21.”

Thomas said the city’s planning process should have considered how to maintain public services, including parking and recycling, during construction. He added that the city should have given earlier warning of plans to close the parking lot.

“Now we’re left with three weeks prior to July 21 and people are going to be parking all along Old Town, and bylaw [enforcement] is going to be coming in and ticketing everybody,” said Thomas. “It’s not going to be fun for everybody.”

Thomas also raised issues with the dimensions of the final design of the new lift station and parking lot, questioning its ability to accommodate boats with larger trailers. He added that difficulties may emerge for users if the parking lot only has one entrance.

‘We really have no other choice’

Greencorn responded that the city “relies on design experts,” to approve whether or not a design is “feasible.”

He said the city considered the public’s feedback regarding the closure of the parking area.

“We know it’s super inconvenient,” he said. “It’s not something that we like to do, but we really have no other choice.”

Greencorn said that the city “doesn’t have a lot of public land available in the Old Town area that would be suitable for parking.” He urged residents and boat users to “plan their boat launch and trips as best they can” and to “seek out other commercial storage options and maybe agreements with sailing or yacht clubs.”

The Great Slave Sailing Club later told Cabin Radio that it does not have extra room for the public.

When asked if boat owners who do not remove their boats from the parking lot prior to the start of construction would be fined, Greencorn said that the city is “not looking into fining people.”

“We’re trying to give proper notice,” said Greencorn. “We understand that it’s the removal of a significant service. You can see the boats behind us, but I don’t have any other option to replace the lift station.”

The city said people with items stored at the site will receive reminder calls from municipal enforcement regarding the deadline for removal.

Any vehicles not removed from the parking lot before construction begins, Greencorn said, will be towed and securely stored at the solid waste facility for pickup.