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LETTER: Apology in order for Cedar Island pumping station

'Now we taxpayers are on the hook for $1.645 million because of all this incompetence,' frustrated resident says
2021-10-08 Elgin Bay sewage pumping 1
Among those concerned about the location of a new sewage-pumping station on Cedar Island Road are Elgin Bay Club residents Cliff Whitfield, left, Cliff Martin, middle, and Tom Griffiths, shown in this file photo.

OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). This letter is regarding our story, titled 'City to pay extra $1.645M to contractor to restart stalled project' published Aug. 12.
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(On Aug. 12), Orillia city council “greenlights Centennial Drive Phase 1 contract amendment.”

Council authorized an additional $1.645 million for the construction of the sewage-pumping station on Cedar Island Road. No work on this facility has been done since last February, when the contractor, JB Enterprises, left the site. Our local Cedar Island community has been putting up with dust, pedestrian and vehicle traffic disruption, and noisy, polluting generators running 24/7 since then.

City staff recommended this location for this facility and council approved it even though it is on reclaimed land on the flood plain very close to Lake Couchiching. Many local residents including myself told the city this was an incredibly stupid place to build a sewage-pumping station but our objections were ignored. Now we taxpayers are on the hook for $1.645 million because of all this incompetence.

Our community just received a project update letter from Ian Sugden, general manager of development services and engineering, where he twice states, “We truly appreciate your patience …”

How about an apology, Mr. Sugden, for all the inconveniences you have needlessly bestowed on our community?

Tom Griffiths
Orillia

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