The discussion surrounding the incoming traffic control along one of Renfrew’s busiest roads continued to swirl on Thursday night.
After some back and forth over the final phase of the Connecting Links project along O’Brien Road, which would add a highly divisive roundabout at the intersection with Wrangler Road and Innovation Drive, council approved the purchase of four small lots of land at each of the intersection’s corners from their private owners.
That news comes days after construction on the project got underway. Chief Administrative Officer Rob Tremblay explains that they had to navigate a tight deadline while handling a snag in negotiations.
The holdout in the process was McGrimmon Holdings, who have entered into a memorandum of understanding with the town to give them the required land in exchange for future considerations on town-owned property up to $24,720 in value.
On the other side of the road, the town will pay $29,600 to James W. Lapointe Motor Holdings Inc. and another $4,200 for land from the Renfrew Canadian Tire lot.
Council would approve the purchases by a recorded vote of 4-2, with Jason Legris stressing the need to move forward with the project ahead of the expected need for a better flow of traffic coming in from Highway 417 once it runs through Renfrew.
Councillor Andrew Dick was less than impressed with the land purchases being finalized mid-construction and would ultimately vote against the motion due to concerns over where a sizable chunk of the approximately $5 million for the project is coming from.
This project is the final phase of a years-long rehabilitation of O’Brien Road under the Connecting Link program, which helps municipalities care for parts of provincial highways that pass through built-up communities.
(written by Kasey Egan)