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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS 08-18DICKERING Report to Executive Committee Report Number: CS 08-18 Date: June 18, 2018 From: Marisa Carpino Director, Community Services Subject: Waterfront Trail Winter Maintenance - File: A-1440 Recommendation: 1. That Council receive report CS 08-18 for information regarding Waterfront Trail Winter Maintenance. Executive Summary: At the Budget Committee Meeting of February 15, 2018, Council asked staff to investigate the feasibility of performing winter maintenance on Pickering's waterfront trail. Currently, the City does not perform any form of winter maintenance on the waterfront trail and signs informing trail users are posted accordingly. Winter maintenance standards for waterfront trails vary among municipalities. Each municipality sets priorities based on staffing levels and available funding. In any case, the ability to provide winter maintenance on trails depends largely on whether the trail network was originally ready - built for winter control and how exposed sections of the trail are to the elements. For instance, heavily wooded sections of trails are particularly difficult to maintain. Pickering's waterfront trail presents many challenges for effective and efficient winter maintenance. This report identifies those challenges, proposes solutions and identifies the associated budget implications of approximately $2,390,000.00 for initial capital improvements and $170,000.00 in new annual maintenance costs, A well conceived winter maintenance plan with dedicated resources and available funds can overcome these challenges for winter maintenance of the waterfront trail should Council direct staff to provide this level of service. Financial Implications: Maintaining Pickering's waterfront trail to bare surface will have both Capital and Current budget implications as described below. Capital Budget Implications: The approved 2018 Capital Budget includes $200,000.00 for resurfacing a section of Peak Trail from Sandy Beach Road to Brock Road. This section of Peak Trail is currently maintained during the winter due to the link it provides between Ontario Power Generation buildings in the absence of a sidewalk. This section of the trail consists of an asphalt pathway which has deteriorated to a point that resurfacing is required_ CS 08-18 June 18, 2018 Subject: Waterfront Trail Winter Maintenance Page 2 Peak Trail from Brock Road to Montgomery Road is also in poor condition and should be considered for resurfacing and drainage construction in the near future. This section of the trail is 1,019 metres long and, at an average cost of $70 per square metre, will cost approximately $450,000.00 to resurface (currently not reflected in the Capital Budget). Due to water conditions along this section, additional funding may be required to upgrade the base material and address drainage challenges. The 2019 Capital Budget currently includes $200,000.00 for trail improvements on Monarch Trail which extends from Elvira Court to Bruce Hanscombe Park. The scope of work involves widening the trail to three metres wide, replacing the existing culverts, and installing retaining walls, new pathway lighting, and railings. As this section of trail crosses a water course, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) may need to be consulted to confirm requirements they may have prior to proceeding. TRCA requirements may affect the cost of reconstructing this section of the trail. The Capital Budget of $200,000.00 may not be sufficient for the scope of work required and staff will be recommending increasing the budget to $300,000.00 in next year's budget submission to Council. The 2021 Capital Budget includes $1,34Q000.00 budgeted for the replacement of the boardwalk on Peak Trail. The boardwalk is 18 years old and has deteriorated over time due to weather elements, including high water levels during the spring and summer of 2017. The replacement of the boardwalk should occur earlier than 2021. The material chosen to replace the boardwalk will determine if winter maintenance of this section of Peak Trail will be feasible in the future. Ability to renegotiate the lease agreement with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will also determine feasibility of winter maintenance of the boardwalk. In total, the capital investment to trail infrastructure to enable winter maintenance is approximately $2,390,000.00 as per below: Capital Projects Proposed Budget Resurfacing Peak Trail from Sandy Beach Road to Brock Road (2018 Capital Budget) $ 200,000,00 Resurfacing Peak Trail from Brock Road to Montgomery Road (unbudgeted) $ 450,000.00 Improvements Monarch Trail from Elvira Court to Bruce Hanscombe Park ($200,000.00 in 2019 Capital Forecast) $ 300,000,00 Replacement of the boardwalk on Peak Trail (2021 Capital Forecast) $ 1,340,000.00 Contingency $ 100,000.00 Total $ 2,390,000.04 Current Budget Implications: First Year Start Up Costs: An additional $2,000.00 will be required in the Parks Budget (2718.2482) to re-sign all sections of the waterfront trail to reflect the new winter maintenance standards. This will include signage posted at secondary pathways that link into the waterfront trail CS 08-18 June 18, 2018 Sulaject: Waterfront Trail Winter Maintenance Page 3 that will not be winter maintained. Signage for the lightweight bridge structures and stairways is required should it be determined that they are not suitable for winter maintenance. Signage will also need to be changed in existing parks where the waterfront trail passes through and is currently not maintained. In order to allow for winter maintenance equipment to access the waterfront trail for winter maintenance, operations bollards at the eight entry points to the trail will either need to be removed or relocated. Public Works staff would be able to perform the work in-house at a projected cost of $3,500.00. This cost includes staff wages and materials required to complete the task, This cost assumes that the existing bollards can be reused; should new bollards need to be purchased, it would cost an additional $1,500.00 per location. Current Budget - First Year Start Up Cost Proposed Budget New Signage for trail system indicating winter controlled sections $ 2,000.00 Bollard removal to permit plow access $ 3,500,00 Contingency for unforeseen $ 3,000.00 Total $ 8,500.00 Annual Costs: The annual Current Budget for turf repairs (2718.2482) will need to be increased by an additional $10,000.00 to repair the damage to the turf along the waterfront trail caused by the winter maintenance operations. The annual Current Budget for salt and eco -traction (2320.2408) will also need to be increased by $15,000.00 for the additional salt and eco -traction required to perform winter maintenance on the waterfront trail. The City averages 33 snow clearing events each winter. Adding an additional 6 kilometres of waterfront trail to the winter maintenance program will lead to an increase in salt and eco -traction usage. Parks staff are currently at capacity and cannot increase the daytime workload without a negative impact to existing levels of service. Therefore, additional staff resources are required to undertake winter maintenance of the waterfront trail. Currently, Parks has 8 Term Labourers who work 8 months out of the year. It is recommended that 3 of these Term Labourer positions be converted to 3 full-time positions for the purpose of winter maintenance and inspections of the waterfront trail. The yearly cost associated with converting 3 Term Labourer positions to 3 full-time positions is anticipated to be $140,000.00 (2718.1100) , These staff will be responsible for clearing the waterfront trail to bare surface using existing equipment. Where standard snow clearing equipment cannot access the waterfront trail, these staff will be responsible for clearing these sections of the trail by hand using shovels and snow blowers. CS 08-18 Subject: Waterfront Trail Winter Maintenance June 18, 2018 Page 4 Current Budget - Annual Cost Proposed Budget Turf repairs caused by trail winter control . _$ 10,000,00 Salt & eco -traction additional use $ 15,000.00 Additional staff cost for winter control $ 140,000.00 Winter control overtime for trail $ 6,000,00 Total $ 171,000.00 In total, the Current Budget implications are approximately $180,000.00 in year 1 and $171,000.00 annually thereafter in order to maintain the waterfront trail to bare surface, Discussion: The waterfront trail is divided into the following 3 separate trail systems: 1. First Nations Trail — this trail starts at the TorontolPickering border at the end of Dyson Road and ends at Monarch Trail entrance on Beachpoint Promenade (3.0 km). 2. Monarch Trail — this trail starts at Beachpoint Promenade, goes around Frenchman's Bay, and ends at Beachfront Park at the bottom of Liverpool Road (4.8 km). 3. Peak Trail —this trail starts at Beachfront Park and ends at the Pickering/Ajax border at the end of FriscoRoad (4.2 km). In total, Pickering's waterfront trail is 12 kilometers in length. By comparison, the waterfront trail in Ajax is 6 kilometers in length. Pickering's waterfront trail is comprised of several different surface types ranging from 3 metre wide asphalt, concrete residential sidewalks, on -street portions, and a boardwalk made from Trex plastic lumber. All 3 sections of the waterfront trail have common and unique challenges when it comes to performing winter maintenance which includes pavement structure, trail alignments, trail condition, snow storage, salting/sanding and staffing resources (refer to Attachment 2 for a detailed summary). Currently, the City provides winter control for a total of 6.1 kilometers of the waterfront trail. First Nations Trail has 1.3 kilometres that the City provides winter maintenance for (the on -street sections of the trail along Rodd Avenue and from Marksbury Road over to Beachpoint Promenade). Monarch Trail currently has 4 kilometers that the City provides winter maintenance for (both on street and residential concrete sidewalk sections of the trail). Peak Trail currently has 0.8 kilometers that the City provides winter maintenance for (a 3 metre wide asphalt trail section from Sandy Beach Road to Brock Road). The City currently does not maintain the remaining 5,9 kilometres of the waterfront trail during winter months. This maintenance standard is clearly stated on the main entry signage to inform users, which places the City at a lower duty of care and lower liability risk. Should the waterfront trail be maintained to bare surface, the entire length of the waterfront trail would be subject to similar provincial minimum maintenance standards as sidewalks, including a duty of regular and timely inspections. inspection of the waterfront trail system is more difficult CS 08-18 Subject: Waterfront Trail Winter Maintenance June 18, 2018 Page 5 than City sidewalks. City staff have road access to sidewalks to verify conditions and effectiveness of winter control operations. Much of the trail system is inaccessible to do drive by inspections. This reduced ability to inspect may increase the City's exposure to slip and fall claims. Additional signage to inform waterfront trail users that particular trails are maintained during winter while others are not would be required where the waterfront trail passes through parks that have other pathways. Pathways that will not be cleared will have to be individually signed to inform trail users. Alternatives: Grooming of the naturalized portions of the waterfront trail is an alternative to clearing to bare surface. Grooming packs the snow on the trail to improve access to the trail without requiring additional signage and maintains the City's current duty of care. Grooming would minimize damage to the asphalt trail and the associated liability created from poor asphalt conditions. Turf damage would also be minimized by grooming the waterfront trail as compared to clearing it to bare surface. However, grooming as an alternative to clearing to bare surface is not recommended by staff. Grooming requires specialized grooming equipment, additional staff resources and a consistent amount of snow to maintain snow packed levels on the trail. This is impossible to provide for on our waterfront trail because of its inconsistent exposure to shade and sun along the length of the trail system. The grooming method is more appropriate to ski trails and snowmobile trails which has consistent exposure to the elements. Municipal Comparators: The Town of Ajax provides winter maintenance to most of its waterfront trail measuring 6 km in length. There are some sections that are signed and closed due to factors such as low weight bridges and poor access for winter maintenance equipment. The Town of Ajax maintains their waterfront trail to bare surface for winter maintenance. Ajax uses a plow truck with salter to winter maintain its waterfront trail. On older sections that were not designed for the weight of the plow truck, they use a sidewalk unit. The sidewalk unit requires several passes to open the waterfront trail to full width. Ice build up on sections of the Ajax waterfront trail can pose a concern due to inadequate drainage and require regular inspection and maintenance. Ajax has a maintained waterfront as opposed to Pickering's mainly naturalized waterfront. The Town of Whitby maintains a small section of their waterfront trail from Thickson Road to Haydenshore Park. The remainder of its waterfront trail is not winter maintained and signs are posted accordingly. Seaton: The neighbourhood communities in Seaton are to be linked by an extensive network of "primary neighbourhood connecting trails" which, as part of the integrated transportation plan that will provide links for pedestrian, bicycle, skateboard etc. between individual residential subdivisions. Subject to successful consultation with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, it is the City's intention that these primary trails be constructed to allow year round maintenance including full winter control. As such, the trails shall be asphalt and constructed with a sub -base designed to take the load of maintenance equipment. The trail system shall also be lit throughout the length of the system. Accordingly, Public Works staff will assume maintenance of sections of trail as they are completed and access points opened at the trail heads. CS 08-18 June 18, 2018 Subject: Waterfront Trail Winter Maintenance Page 6 Attachments: 1. Common and Unique Challenges to Waterfront Trail 2. Photographs of Waterfront Trail Challenge Locations 3. Waterfront Trail Map Drfln.9re\el MN.. U IGIJa1 1 uy. Approved/Endorsed By: _Inhn Doak Marisa Carpirio, M.A. Fore n, P : rks Operations Director, Community Services Rob Gagen Supervisor, Parks Operations Bria Division Head, Operations JD:bd Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Tony Prevedel, P.Eng. Chief Administrative Officer Common and Unique Challenges to Waterfront Trail Waterfront Common Challenges Pavement Structure Trail Alignments Discussion Much of the pathways construction along the Waterfront Trail was not designed to withstand the weight of maintenance equipment. Maintaining pathways that have not been installed with an adequate subgrade/pavement depth/granular depth will decrease the life cycle of the path and necessitate earlier reconstruction. Should winter maintenance of the Waterfront Trail be endorsed, the design and construction of paths will need to be updated for future pathways. The Waterfront Trail has been constructed over water courses and ditches. In these situations, the crossing structures have not been designed for maintenance vehicles. These crossing structures will need to be cleared by hand. The Waterfront Trail is typically not straight and may have grade fluctuations as the path follows the natural contours of the ground. This will be problematic for winter maintenance. Plow operators will not be able to easily identify the asphalt path and may plow onto the grassed areas. During heavy snowfalls and early in the season, extensive sod damage may occur while plow operators try to navigate the curving pathways. This damage would require repair in the spring. Paths are commonly designed to follow natural contours of the ground which may create "low spots" which are subject to ponding during freeze -thaw cycles. These locations would have to be regularly maintained and salted to avoid unfavourable conditions. Ice build up will create slip and fall issues and the ice will be difficult to remove. Entry points onto the Waterfront Trail have bollards to prevent vehicles from entering the path. These bollards will need to be removed or relocated to allow access for winter maintenance equipment. CTD Waterfront Common Challenges Discussion Trail Condition In some sections of the Waterfront Trail, asphalt is in fair (or worse) condition. Plowing these paths to bare surfaces would result in significant asphalt damage/potholing and expedite their deterioration and need for replacement. Snow Storage While in most cases there will be adequate areas to place the snow, pushing it over the banks and dealing with slopes may cause isolated issues as winter progresses across the Waterfront Trail. There could be times and locations where a sidewalk plow would be required to push back these snow banks using a snow blower attachment. Salting/Sanding To adequately maintain the Waterfront Trail to bare asphalt, sand/salt will need to be used. Given the natural environment involved and the proximity to streams and the lake, this is highly unfavourable. The sand/salt and eco traction supply will need to be increased to accommodate additional use. The use of sand/salt will contribute to an increase in the amount of turf damage adjacent to the pathways and would require additional spring maintenance and turf repair. Staffing/Resources Public Works staff are currently at full work capacity and can not increase the workload without a negative impact to existing levels of service. Additional staff resources are required to undertake winter maintenance of the Waterfront Trail. Public Works currently has one spare sidewalk unit that was purchased in 2014 for Seaton. An operator for this piece of equipment was not included in the budget. First Nations Trail Challenges Discussion Pathway Structure _ The stairway from Dyson Road to First Nations Trail can not be cleared by current winter maintenance equipment. To adequately maintain the stairway to bare concrete will require Public Works staff to clear the snow and salt the stairway by hand. An increase to the staffing compliment is required. Light Weight Bridge Structures There are two lightweight bridge structures crossing water courses on the First Nations Trail. Both bridge structures have wood decks that can not support the weight of current winter maintenance equipment. To adequately maintain the bridge decks to bare wood, the bridge structure will need to be upgraded to accept the weight of winter maintenance equipment or cleared by hand, necessitating an increase in the staffing complement. The most economical and environmentally friendly solution would be to clear by hand with specialized equipment. The bridge structures can not be salted and staff will need to use a non-corrosive product to reduce slip and fall hazards. Eco traction is currently used on other bridge structures within the City. The budget for eco traction will need to be increased to maintain these two bridge structures during the winter. The bridge structures are in isolated locations. Public Works staff will be required to walk all equipment to the bridge locations to dear them by hand. Two additional staff will be required to dear sections of the Waterfront Trail not accessible to winter maintenance equipment. Monarch Trail Challenges Discussion Pavement Structure Monarch Trail has been constructed over water courses and ditches. The two main concerns are the pathway from Bruce Hanscombe Park to Elvira Court through Glen Ravine. The pathway is currently not wide enough for winter maintenance equipment and crosses a watercourse that feeds directly into Frenchman's Bay. The second concern is the pathway that loops through Progress Park, The pathway is immediately adjacent to Frenchman's Bay and a steel seawall. Implications listed below. _ Salt Sanding Salt contamination of the water and premature deterioration of the seawall is a concern along the pathway in Progress Park that is immediately adjacent to Frenchman's Bay. Peak Trail Challenges Discussion Pavement Structure Trex Boardwalk has not been designed for winter maintenance equipment. The boardwalk section of the Peak trial is 566 meters long and 5 meters wide. The boardwalk will need to be cleared by hand pending OPG's approval. Lease Agreement The City's current lease agreement with Ontario Power Generation, Section 9.2, does not permit the performance of winter maintenance or the storage of snow on all Ontario Power Generation properties leased by the City. The current terms of the lease agreement with Ontario Power Generation affect the City's ability to clear sections of Peak Trail that pass through Alex Robertson Park and Beachfront Park. This includes the Trex Boardwalk section of Peak Trail. The lease agreement with Ontario Power Generation will need to be renegotiated to permit winter maintenance on the two sections of Peak Trail that pass through Alex Robertson and Beachfront Parks. Boardwalk E[vira Ravine Attachment #2 — Waterfront Trail Challenges _ - ---4 e.- "CYCl.ISTS" WALK BICYCLES IBM UGH VIALS -WO ;v1-4.0 G #1110c1R1 01 IN3WHOV11, Peak Trail East of Brock Road Petticoat Bridge Western Gateway and Stairs momen WATERFRONT TRAIL SYSTEM - 2018 - MAP LEGEND PEAK TRAIL (4.3 krn) - Maintained 1887111y Un -maintained (3,434m) MONARCH TRAIL (4.9 km) - Maintained (4,073m) Un -maintained (821my FIRST NATIONS TRAIL (3 km) - Maintained (1,257m} Un -maintained � .... � (1,765m) Roads Maintained (di km) TOTALS Maintained {6.2 i[rny Un -maintained (6 km]