Over 50 people attended the West Fernie Servicing Project Open House on Oct. 29.
The Open House was held at the Stanford Resort, with two sessions open to the public.
“It was great to see so many people come out and participate in the Open House,” said Regional District East Kootenay (RDEK) Engineering Services Manager Brian Funke. “We know there is a lot of information to share and our goal is to make sure residents feel informed every step along the way. Having information sessions like the ones this week allows us the opportunity to be able to meet directly with the community, answer questions and also hear their ideas about the project.”
During the meeting, Project Manager for the Kerr Wood Leidal Don Nash detailed the preliminary design for Phase 1 of the project, which includes the development of water, sewer and storm water services for all of the properties on the south side of Highway 3 in West Fernie. Nash also reviewed the timing for Phase 2 of the project.
“We wanted to get out to the community to share the preliminary design for Phase 1 and gather feedback. At the same time, we are in the process of gathering preliminary information on properties in Phase 2, so we want to make sure those residents and property owners are also engaged and informed,” Nash said in a press release.
The next step will be the detailed design work, which is expected to be finished by late November. Once the RDEK receives the regulatory approvals, the construction contract for Phase 1 will be tendered, which is expected to happen early in the New Year. While preliminary information is being gathered for Phase 2, work on that arm of the project is not expected to start until 2017.