In what’s liable to relieve residents along St. Charles Street, construction of the neighbourhood’s new sewage lift station is expected to be completed by next summer.
Construction of the $19.7-million project to help pump sewage down the line started last year and has caused a number of disruption to area properties.
Area residents expressed these concerns during a Community Action Network meeting at Claude Charbonneau Park on Oct. 1, at which city staff shared the latest on the project.
Staff also took notes, with city Engineering Services director David Shelsted pledging to relay residents’ concerns to the contractor for further improvements to construction practices.
Area resident Jean-Pierre Blais brought Sudbury.com’s attention to the issue earlier this month, complaining about such area impacts as cement dust, noise and traffic.
Some properties have been damaged, he said, with a sinkhole emerging in a neighbour’s driveway, several water breaks taking place and St. Charles Street now sloping downward along its south side along the lift station site.
“We’ve been washing the car on the house on a regular basis,” he said, adding that he’s concerned about the health effects associated with construction dust.
On one occasion, he said a plume of dust reached his property, across the street from the project, and he “couldn’t get into the house quick enough, and got a bad taste in his mouth.
It’s not only area residents affected by the construction dust, but construction workers themselves, he said, some of whom were seen blowing dust around without wearing masks.
“I worked in construction for a long time, and you don’t do that,” Blais said, later adding, “I am not trying to stop the construction,” but the contractors “need to work safer.”
Blais provided Sudbury.com with a video of workers blowing up dust without wearing personal protective equipment. He also submitted a complaint to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, whose spokespeople confirmed they have received. Their investigation is completed, and the spokesperson said no health and safety orders were issued.
Many of these concerns were reiterated during the Oct. 1 Community Action Network meeting, at which dust, noise and property damage were all raised.
Both in conversation with Sudbury.com prior to the meeting and during the meeting itself, Shelsted said that some disruption was anticipated going into the project, and that the city was doing its best to resolve area residents’ concerns.
A third-party contractor took photos of site conditions prior to work commencing last year, including the foundations of area homes, and there is a claim procedure residents can apply for through the city at any point.
“We’re doing our best to mitigate the situation for residents, and we appreciate their patience,” Shelsted said, also clarifying during the Community Action Network meeting that the city has been in talks with the contractor to better mitigate such concerns as noise and dust.
During the meeting, Shelsted said, “We’re getting it done as fast as we can … unfortunately, it’s in your neighbourhood.”
A key issue is in the lift station’s location, nestled in close proximity to single-family homes.
However, the city didn’t have much of a choice in location, he clarified, noting that it makes a lot more budget sense to build the station adjacent to the existing 90-year-old facility they’re replacing, which allows for the existing facility to continue operating throughout construction.
“The cost of relocating it is fairly expensive … so doing it at the same site makes a lot of sense from a budgetary perspective,” Shelsted said.
The contractors excavated 10 metres into the ground for the project within soil Shelsted said the city knew from the start would prove challenging.
Shelsted confirmed that there was some ground settlement, including along St. Charles Street, and that the road would be repaired upon project completion next summer.
“We anticipated road damage during construction, so the restoration’s all within the contract,” Shelsted said, later clarifying that they’d only repair the road in front of the job site, with a broader repaving project not taking place until after underground infrastructure work has wrapped up, which he expects to see included in the city’s next four-year capital budget.
The lift station project has been in the works for several years.
In 2019, the city relocated the Flour Mill Museum from the lift station site to make way for the project, shifting the heritage house built in 1902 to the nearby O’Connor Park.
On Feb. 9, 2021, city council members voted to purchase 241 St. Charles St., which included a house, for $444,000, plus additional compensation of $41,000, to make way for the new station’s construction next to the existing facility.
Industra Construction Corp. was awarded a construction tender for the $19.7-million project on March 5, 2024, for $16,978,921.53.
Ground settling took place during construction, which extended into the neighbouring property at 237 St. Charles St., which city council voted on Oct. 22, 2024, to purchase for $337,000 plus HST.
“We took the opportunity to work with a willing seller,” Shelsted said. “Some of the settlement had extended into that property, and the owner said they were thinking about selling anyway.”
During the Oct. 1 Community Action Network meeting, Shelsted joined project lead Paul Bazinet and Andy Dryland from R.V. Anderson Associates Limited in walking residents through conceptual drawings and floor plans for the new lift station.
It appears to be short-term pain, long-term gain for area residents, with daytime construction taking place daily as long as weather conditions allow for it, after which work will shift indoors and be less disruptive to area residents.
Once completed, Shelsted said the facility should be silent, even when there’s a power outage and it’s running on backup generators (which will be located indoors).
Where some residents on Oct. 1 complained about the existing facility’s odour, Dryland said the new facility would include an air filtration system to neutralize the smell.
The current facility also finds staff and contractors park on the street, where the new facility will include enough room on site for vehicles to park on the property itself.
The new facility is being built to accommodate future growth, and Shelsted said the risks of sewer backup will be significantly dashed when it opens.
Meanwhile, Shelsted encouraged those with complaints regarding construction to continue letting his department know what’s going on, and they can keep relaying it to the contractor. The city also has a claims process for those whose properties are damaged as a result of construction.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.