Private/Public Road

TOWN ASSUMING OUR ROAD

This is continuing to be quite an issue not just around our lake but in Bracebridge specifically. There was another article about a Bracebridge resident (Scott Crockatt) in the local paper this week.

He is insisting that tax payers as a whole should subsidize a plan by the Town to begin looking after private roads year round. It seems he is about 400' away from where the Town stops maintaining his road and he wants them to plow to his drive because they owe it to him. Why? Primarily the weight of his argument is based on equality for all rate payers. Why do some enjoy year round service while others must pay separately for winter road plowing, there is no tax reduction based on where you live so there should be a process to equalize everyone's receipt of benefits. This should constitute a change in the way services are delivered and access (the roads) should have an initiative ("seek out new and innovative") implemented by the Town.

The last Public Works Committee meeting he attended, Ron Walton (public works engineer) disclosed the Town's road system had an overall length of 315.6 KM, of which 73.2 are maintained only in the summer. He speculated it would cost $18 million to bring these roads up to standard and an additional $136,000 per year to maintain them.

Mr. Crockatt is requesting we the public (mainly those on private roads that are paying winter snow removal), make this more of an issue for this upcoming election. He personally rejects the notion that he (and his neighbors on private roads) must personally bear the expense of road upgrades.

Don