After numerous complaints from the public, city council has shot down administration’s first choice for a temporary replacement for the soon-to-be demolished Brodie Street bus terminal.
Nearby neighbour Jason Hart told council on Monday night that the first he and his neighbours heard about the plan was when a pamphlet arrived at his South Archibald Street house on Friday afternoon.
He was surprised at what he read, learning administration was calling on council to approve a plan to close Donald Street between Archibald and Syndicate Avenue by the end of the month.
Hart told council that on Sunday he and residents of the 13 houses on his street gathered and were "outraged and appalled" by the lack of notice and consideration.
"Nobody came to our houses," Hart said. "Nobody asked us."
Hart said fumes from as many as seven idling buses would mean he and his neighbours would not be able open their windows, hang laundry or enjoy their backyards.
Because the proposed location would only feature four bus shelters and no amenities, Hart said residents were concerned that transit users might use South Archibald Street backyards as an alternative.
In a unanimous decision, council agreed with Hart and rejected the recommended Donald Street site and referred the site selection back to administration for more information.
Transportation and works manager Darrell Matson said more notice should have been given to nearby residents, but with the Brodie Street terminal slated for demolition during the first week of April, time is a priority.
Matson said the Donald Street site scored the highest out of four potential sites based on operational impact, pedestrian access and safety, security and traffic impact.
"We did not communicate as well as we should have," Matson said.
Development services manager Mark Smith said because of post-demolition work required such as clean-up, soil decommissioning and archeology, all parties involved with building the new courthouse are concerned.
"There is no flex in our schedule," Smith said. "All of the players required to coordinate efforts are very nervous about the timelines we must meet."
But city councillors like Coun. Trevor Giertuga said only 18 points separate administration’s number one choice for a temporary terminal and number two, city hall. Coun. Aldo Ruberto said with all of the renovations recently completed at city hall, it’s the perfect choice for a bus terminal.
"I see cameras, I see security, I see bright lights, I see a bus terminal that should be there," Ruberto said.
Transit manager Brad Loroff said using city hall as a bus terminal would remove all parking around the building. With road closures necessary, traffic on Donald, Brodie and May streets could be impacted.
"It could work at City Hall," said Loroff. "It’s not necessarily that it could work well."
Administration will return to council next week with information on the city hall site, Violet and North Streets, Syndicate Avenue from Donald to Arthur Street and several other sites.
Also Monday, city council voted to add Dease Pool and Heath Pool to the City of Thunder Bay Heritage Register. The pools represent culture and heritage in Thunder Bay said Coun. Joe Virdiramo. Dease Pool was built in 1912 after children drowned in area rivers because of a lack of facilities. Heath was built in 1954 to stop children from swimming in the Kaministiquia River.
