Kimberley’s flume project to replace the aging concrete flood channel which carries Mark Creek through downtown Kimberley, is proceeding on schedule, says Mayor Ron McRae.
“It is on schedule,” McRae said. “The contractor, Copcan, originally hoped to have this first reach tied up by the end of October, but just the sheer magnitude of the project has slowed them down a bit.
“But it is progressing quite nicely, the weather has cooperated for most of the fall. We fully expect this piece to be tied up by the end of November.”
This particular first piece takes the much widened stream up to the Wallinger Avenue bridge.
The $4.25 million project will widen the creek through the downtown area, with specific structures designed to slow water flow in some areas, and provide fish habitat. Thus far, the City has been paying for the first third of the project, though McRae says they hope to hear something on the gas tax grant application to provide some provincial and federal funds for the next two phases in a couple of weeks.
“We are already moving into planning the upper reaches,” he said.
When the flume project first went into serious discussion at Council, Kimberley City Council was visited by a group who wanted to put a white water kayak course into the creek. They argued it would be an excellent tourist attraction. Council didn’t disagree with that but said the group would have to come up with their own funding as the City was mainly interested in public safety and flood control in their work.
“We haven’t had any contact from the kayak group since they first visited Council,” McRae said. “But the city is proceeding on the basis of retrofitting the flume and dealing with flood issues. The kayaking is totally secondary.”