Latest news with #publicWorks
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Neighbourhood action teams to fix variety of issues in Winnipeg communities
Social Sharing A new crew of City of Winnipeg workers trained to perform a variety of tasks will spend the next several months fixing problems in neighbourhoods across the city. But rather than sending a crew to do one job, like fill a pothole or trim a tree, the neighbourhood action teams will focus on one area, tackling all service requests, before moving on to the next. It fulfils an election pledge from Mayor Scott Gillingham to create teams of workers capable of taking care of the many smaller issues that often pile up on the city's to-do list. "They're teams that are cross-trained to take care of multiple issues at once, all in one visit," Gillingham said at a news conference in Machray Park, alongside team members and other public works department staff. The program includes three teams of six people, with equipment to perform jobs like filling potholes, fixing broken signs, sidewalk repairs, clearing tree debris, and boulevard maintenance. Priority areas will be determined by a combination of 311 requests, communication with area councillors, consultation with business and community groups, and input from neighbours. Gillingham says if someone sees a crew working on their street, they can report problems directly to the team members, who will take care of it. "It's a smarter, faster way to deliver public service and it puts residents first," Gillingham said. The team has already been working for months, starting over the winter clearing snow around transit stops, and learning to do other things on the job. They plan to rotate through all wards in the city between now and October, spending four weeks in each area, starting with Mynarski, Daniel McIntyre and River Heights-Fort Garry. St. Jonn's neighbourhood resident Tyrone Diese says he thinks the teams will make a more noticeable difference in the appearance of the community. "I think that's a great idea, because at least everything's getting done at once rather than, you know, something gets done here and there [and] it never seems like it is ever finished," he said. Diese has a list of things he'd like to see fixed around his neighbourhood, "Up on the end of the block, there's trees that are actually blocking your view when you're driving … That's dangerous, right? And there's a lot of spots like that." Fixing signs, filling potholes Director of Public Works Jim Berezowsky says they will be there with a number of pieces of equipment to deal with a number of problems at once. "If it's a curb, you might be doing … a minor asphalt repair, and then what you're doing as well is you're scheduling that for more permanency down the road," he said. On top of looking for people who could do a variety of jobs, the city selected team members based on their ability to communicate with community members. Colin Campbell worked as a city arborist for 15 years before joining the team. "I've learned how to work asphalt and do all kinds of other city jobs that weren't in my scope previously," he said in an interview. "I'm fixing signs and things of that nature. It's been a good learning experience." Team co-ordinator Keenan Boles says they've already been out in a few areas and people are coming up to them to point out things that need to be done. "Almost daily … they've heard from at least one resident, whether it be identifying additional issues that they need to be taken care of at the time or even just coming out with commendations and thanking them for the service that they provided because they've been waiting for that service," Boles said. Public works chair Janice Lukes admits it will be a challenge or the teams to get everything done. "Four weeks — we'll never solve all of this, but we can target and hone in and focus on specific areas," she said. The program is expected to cost about $2.7 million a year.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
City of Spokane releases its 2024 report on drinking water quality
Jun. 10—The city of Spokane met all state and federal drinking water standards last year, according to its required 2024 report on drinking water quality measuring levels of contaminants and "forever" chemicals in its source wells. PFAS, also known as polyfluoroalkyl substances, refers to a group of human-made chemicals that has been used in consumer products since the 1950s. Think nonstick cookware, water-resistant fabrics, certain cleaning products or fire-fighting foam. Exposure to high levels of these chemicals has been linked to detrimental health effects, including decreased fertility, developmental delays and a higher risk of some type of cancers, such as kidney and prostate cancer. The components of these substances usually take hundreds or thousands of years to break down, and their widespread use has resulted in their prevalence everywhere — including in our drinking water. Washington established state action levels in 2022 to address PFAS, providing thresholds for the amount of contamination drinking water can contain before specific state actions must take place. In April 2024, the EPA announced a new federal standard: a maximum containment level of 4 parts per trillion of PFAS. Although the EPA requires water purveyors to meet this federal regulatory standard by 2027, the city has already updated its testing and monitoring procedures to account for the contaminants. "We're all kind of learning together," public works communications manager Kirstin Davis said. "Some of the prior standards didn't have as complicated and as detailed of testing as what's available now." The city of Spokane detected low levels of PFAs in three well locations: Havana Well, Nevada Well and Ray Street Well. During a test in February, the Ray Street Well measured slightly above the federal standard at 6.1 parts per trillion of PFOS, a specific type of PFA. EPA rules, however, measure compliances based on a four-quarter rolling average of test results. Further testing of that well in June and October resulted in lower levels of PFAs detected, making the average just below the federal limit. The report also analyzed other levels of inorganic chemicals and found traces of arsenic, barium, lead, copper, nitrate and radionuclides in the source wells, all below the federal limit. This year's Spokane City Water Quality report is accessible on the City's water quality webpage.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Woman in critical condition after oak tree falls on tourists in Venice
A falling oak tree injured a dozen people, including foreign tourists, in Venice on Monday. The 50-year-old tree fell next to a bus stop at Piazzale Roma, the final stop for buses and taxis entering the lagoon city from the mainland, according to city officials. The injured were waiting in a shaded area when the tree fell. The cause of the incident is currently unknown. The most seriously injured was a 30-year-old Italian woman, who was sitting on a wall near the tree with her two small children when the tree fell, Italian media reported. The woman was in critical condition with abdominal injuries, while her children weren't seriously injured and placed under psychological care, according to hospital officials. Another Italian woman in her 50s also was in critical condition after suffering chest injuries. Mapped: Piazzale Roma A video from the scene showed the tree had snapped at the trunk, just above the roots. "The tree was apparently healthy,' Francesca Zaccariotto, the city's top public works official, told the news agency ANSA. She added that the tree was monitored along with others in the city, and there had been no signs indicating a possible collapse. A 60-year-old American was under observation for a head injury, a 70-year-old American suffered facial injuries, and two tourists from Eastern Europe suffered multiple bruises. Four other Italians were slightly injured.
CBC
08-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Nova Scotia government reviewing Sydney commuter rail study
Nova Scotia's deputy minister of public works says government officials are reviewing a report on commuter rail in Cape Breton to determine what track to take. Paul LaFleche told members of the legislature's public accounts committee on Wednesday that a draft version of the study was delivered to the province earlier this week. "It's a significant study," LaFleche told MLAs, stressing that the focus is commuter rail in the Sydney area. "From Sydney to maybe Glace Bay or maybe as far as the airport or [Cape Breton University]," he said. "And it's every day commuter rush hour rail." LaFleche said Sydney has "significant parameters, which are different than one would find in other areas of the province, which are conducive to maybe success and they're putting forward their case." He did not elaborate on what those factors are. Possible funding sources Staff with Link Nova Scotia, the recently-created provincewide entity that oversees all things transit related, will evaluate the study and report back with their thoughts, LaFleche told reporters following the meeting. The deputy minister said commuter rail in Canada is usually funded in a partnership that includes all three levels of government. He said that's most likely what would happen if the project were to go ahead.
