FILE PHOTO - Penticton emergency and public works crews begin the task of repairing a main water line that failed in the city's 300 block of Main Street in February, 2015. Replacing aging infrastructure is part of upgrades to the 300 block of Penticton's Main Street, some of which is 70 to 80 years old.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

PENTICTON - The revitalization of Main Street has moved a step forward following a council decision to approve a local area service tax in the 300 block of Main Street.

Property owners affected by the project have 30 days in which to petition against it, after which time staff will come back to council seeking a budget to fund the remainder of the project following council's decision last week.

The total estimated cost for the work is about $2.2 million, out of which property owner contributions amount to almost $300,000, or 25 per cent of the cost of sidewalks and streetscapes. Council approved the design work at a cost of $166,000 in the 2017 budget.

Development Services manager Anthony Haddad says once the project is approved and budgeted by council, construction is planned to get underway in February 2018. A completion date in early June is anticipated, to mitigate any impact on summer business.

He says the city has been actively engaging with property owners for several months with regard to the 300 block revitalization.

“I’m pretty excited about the ability to extend the revitalization of the 300 block, given the level of development activity downtown, which is pretty significant,” Haddad says, adding one of the most important parts of the upgrades is the underground infrastructure.

“The water pipes are approximately 70 to 80 years old, they would be upgraded as part of this project,” he says.

The water utility fund would also be utilized for a contribution to the project.

The work is a continuation of the revitalization work committed to in August 2011 as part of a new vision statement for the city. Initial work consisted of upgrades to Martin Street in 2014, followed by the 200 and 100 blocks of Main Street in 2017.

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