If there’s one thing that Charlie Gerlach doesn’t like, it’s holes.
Holes on the boulevard in front of his house. Holes by the mailbox a little way down the street.
Over the past two years, he counts a total of eight excavations made by utility companies and Internet providers servicing his Lacombe Park neighbourhood. Although all the sites have been filled in, several patches of dirt scatter the green spaces along Lacombe Drive.
“It’s a pretty straightforward rule of law, damage something and repair it to what it was,” said Gerlach, a retiree with 45 years experience in the nursery and landscaping business.
He said he has no problem with contactors upgrading service – most recently it has been the cable Internet provider Shaw – but he does object to the City of St. Albert signing off on unsatisfactory repairs in areas where residents are expected to upkeep their neighbourhood.
He points to patches of soil that were filled in with rudimentary grass seed the summer before, but instead of sprouting grass blades there stands weeds.
“Grass seed of this type – fescue and bluegrass – are permanent grasses (that) don’t germinate in temperatures above 20 degrees Fahrenheit. In essence the ground will remain bare until next year,” Gerlach explained.
He notes the cost to restore the green space with sod is negligible, but showing respect for property owners, pedestrians and the people that use the local bus stops and group mailbox, is key.
Considering the “Botanical Arts City” has held an annual cleanup and beautification event for many years, the city should do its part too, Gerlach said.
However, St. Albert doesn’t have an agreement with private utility companies outlining how they must remediate the property that is damaged.
“Typically we leave it to the utility company,” said Tracy Allen, director of engineering with the city. “In cases like this, where it’s small and irregularly shaped areas it actually looks more natural at the end of the day when you have topsoil and seed.”
Allen explained that sod typically requires greater upkeep, such as watering, after installation. This is one of the reasons why the city is opting to use topsoil and seed instead of sod for the remediation project underway at the sports fields in Riel Park.
“We appreciate the residents coming forward,” said Allen.
“We did get a couple of questions from the public in that area, so the engineering inspector has went out and is working with Shaw to ensure everything is going to be done to standard.”
Gerlach said he doesn’t mind the extra work as a retiree, but wants to be treated with “a margin of respect.”
