By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
Roughly 30 young and old residents of the unincorporated community of Blumenheim, located east of the Town of Osler, crowded into RM of Corman Park council chambers on Tuesday, September 23 to plead for the municipality to address the poor condition of Township 393/Blumenheim Road, which is widely considered to be “the worst road in the RM of Corman Park.”
The group of residents, who brought along a petition with more than 400 signatures, called on the RM to fulfill promises made over the past two decades and fix the road.
“This road is not just a pathway, it is a lifeline for our residents, our farmers, our businesses, our church, our graveyards, our kids’ 4-H Club, our children travelling on nauseating bus rides and much more,” said resident Marie Peters, one of two main speakers at the meeting.
“After decades of waiting, we are asking the RM to fulfill its promises and invest in a lasting solution.”
Peters said the Blumenheim Road was entrusted to the RM by the Department of Highways in 2005 “with the clear understanding that the road be improved.”
Today, the road (which is estimated to be about 36 years old) is an “eyesore” that causes damage to vehicles, lowers property values and affects the well-being of the community’s residents as their family and friends are hesitant to visit, Peters said.
“Most recently, it affected us directly when my husband was stung by bees and we had to call … first responders because he had an anaphylactic response. And they chose not to take our Blumenheim Road. They ended up taking a road that is a partially paved summer road.”
One of the letters that accompanied the presentation backed up this claim; Town of Osler fire chief Jason Pauls wrote that the poor condition of the road delays emergency response times “especially to Blumenheim,” as vehicles have to take alternate routes to avoid a very rough drive.
Another letter indicated there was an initiative in 2017 to resurface Blumenheim Road, but it was postponed until 2026. “Our community has been patient, extremely patient, but we can wait no longer,” noted Peters.
Farmer Carl Ens, the other main speaker at the meeting, said there have been recent discussions about converting Blumenheim Road back to gravel, but the community feels that would not be cost-effective.
Based on the community’s investigations, Ens indicated the cost of turning the road back to gravel would be $275,000 per kilometre, which would not include widening the road to meet the RMs’ gravel road standards. As well, gravel requires immediate and ongoing maintenance and dust control.
Meanwhile, the estimated cost of secondary paving is $290,000 per kilometre, which comes with virtually no maintenance costs for at least 15 years. Ens pointed at Warman Ferry Road as a prime example of a paved road that carries no maintenance costs, as it is still in great condition after 15 to 20 years.
Ens stressed that residents in the area purchased their properties with the expectation that Blumenheim Road would stay paved, not converted to gravel.
“Turning the road to gravel would lower property values, discourage investment, and send the wrong message about our community’s future,” he said.
Ens presented RM councillors with two options for the road. Both included renewing the base and sub-base to a secondary highway standard, but the first option involved paving, while the second involved chip sealing the road and then saving up the funds for paving a few years into the future.
“(The second option) gives the RM a few more years to come up with the finances for secondary pavement, because we do understand that there is a huge cost to this project,” said Ens.
“This is not just about asphalt and gravel. It’s about fairness, safety and respect for a community that has done its part.”
COUNCIL REACTION
Division 5 Councillor Arthur Pruim, who represents the Blumenheim area, said it was beautiful to see the passion and concern from the community and commended them especially for bringing some potential solutions for the road.
Noting that council has a joint meeting with the Town of Osler this week, Pruim asked if administration could amend that agenda to request that the town seek out grant funding to clean the ditch on the north side of Blumenheim Road.
Pruim said he was aware there was a desire from Osler to continue pumping water down that ditch and it would not be wise to pave the road only to learn Osler wants a new, deeper ditch.
Pruim also suggested that as council begins budget deliberations, Blumenheim Road can enter into their discussions and the RM can possibly look at paving this road in sections or taking a debenture to do the entire project.
He suggested that going back to gravel on a road like this might have been fine in the 1950s to 1970s, but this is the 2020s.
Reeve Joe Hargrave pointed out that the costs of major infrastructure projects like this continue to rise, and even if the RM borrowed the money, those funds will have to be paid back in some fashion.
Having said that, Hargrave said this project will be part of the RM’s ongoing budget discussions and agenda.
When asked if the community was willing to pay extra in taxes, Peters admitted that would be an unpopular idea with some people, though there are some farmers who’d be willing to write a $10,000 cheque on the spot if it meant getting the road paved.
“The feedback we’ve gotten (in our community meetings) is that there are certainly farmers willing to be taxed more,” she said.
Peters also stressed that the community is not interested in half-measures, and is willing to tolerate the extremely bumpy road for a couple more years rather than see it put back to gravel. “I think in going ahead, it’s important to realize that this road has been on the community’s hearts and minds for decades, and it’s not something that’s just going to go away,” she added.
Residents of the unincorporated community of Blumenheim crowded into RM of Corman Park council chambers on Tuesday, September 23 to call on the municipality to address the poor condition of Township Road 393.