NEWS

May 17, 2016

Ancaster News
By Kevin Werner

The final phase of the Wilson Street reconstruction project is scheduled to be completed this year.

Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said the tender for the project, which includes the roadway from Seminole to the roundabout at Highway 403, is expected to be issued later this month.

The Wilson Street project has been one of the longer ongoing infrastructure programs in Ancaster. It began in 2012 when the major part of the street rehabilitation occurred from Halson to Fiddler’s Green, forcing the town’s beloved Heritage Days community event to be scaled back. The $4-million project involved replacing sewer and water lines, installing a gateway feature at Halson and adding decorative street lighting.

In 2013, about $500,000 was spent on Wilson Street from Halson to Rousseau, involving new curbs, improved pedestrian sidewalks and decorative flower pots. Residents and business owners along the roadway have praised the work on Wilson Street.

They say it has provided Ancaster with a welcoming environment for tourists and residents alike.

Ferguson delayed the final phase of Wilson Street’s reconstruction to give residents “a break” from the previous years’ road delays. In 2015 about $200,000 was allotted to the final phase of the project for detail design.

Ferguson said the project is scheduled to be completed this year and has stated the roadwork is budgeted for about $700,000.

Meanwhile, Hamilton officials have awarded the bid for the conservation of windows and front doors of Ancaster’s Old Town Hall.

The winning bid of $105,000 was awarded to Clifford Restoration Ltd.

The bidders were selected though a pre-qualified process by the city held in 2014.

The work involves restoring 10 double sash vertical sliding windows, another window located on the west side, the front doors and transom. The company will be repairing the wood frames, re-puttying, replacing damaged glass, repainting and repairing the masonry.

Last fall Turn of the Century Lighting restored two of the building’s chandeliers that were installed in 1910. The company also provided custom-designed lighting to the chandeliers and retrofitted them with LEDs.

In the summer of 2014, the city closed the building for two months to repair the historically designated building’s foundation and open up its ventilation system at a cost of about $200,000.