It looks like Renfrew’s Park and Ride will be paved after all.
Town Council approved a motion to allocate $96,672 of the budget from the roadwork project along O’Brien from Gillan Road to Mask Road in order to pave the gravel lot near the Renfrew Visitors Information Centre at Harold K. Haramis Park.
Reeve Peter Emon explains that it was one of a few items removed from the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused construction estimates to go through the roof a couple of years ago.
Infrastructure and Public Works Director Connor Jamieson let council know that the project working on that section of O’Brien Road is actually $169,008 under budget due to not needing as much material as first thought.
That gave town staff the chance to reintroduce the Park and Ride paving back into the scope of the project, which will allow them to properly mark out parking spots to maximize capacity, among other benefits.
Paving the Park and Ride will also allow ATV and snowmobile users a proper drop-off point when using the Algonquin Trail, something Mayor Tom Sidney hopes will help attract people looking to visit Renfrew as part of their getaway and adventuring plans.
(written by Kasey Egan)
