*‘Monstrous hole’ trouble on Sturgeon Creek path*

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/06/07/monstrous-hole-lot...

A massive, water-filled hole where the busy Sturgeon Creek active transportation route meets a playground path has posed a safety hazard for several weeks, according to those hoping to speed up repairs.

Randall Hull said he first complained to 311 on April 23, about the roughly 75-centimetre-deep depression he estimates stretches at least six metres.

A barricade posted by city staff at each of its ends isn’t enough to alert people to the danger, he said Wednesday.

“It is deep enough that if a child fell into it (they could be hurt). The one side of the hole is lined with bricks that are all exposed, so somebody could fall into the hole, hit their head on a brick and drown in the water, or accidentally bike into it because the barricade doesn’t completely cover it,” said Hull.

“It’s just a public safety thing and the fact that it’s a path that leads up to a playground, it’s even more troubling that it’s not being attended to.”

While most of the damage is concentrated on the path leading to a playground on Amarynth Crescent and the main Sturgeon Creek path is still passable, Hull said many residents routinely walk and bike in the area, raising the risk of potential injury.

He recalled seeing some children standing in the water-filled hole at one point.

The space appears to have been washed out during high water levels this spring. Erosion has been an issue at the spot, with less extensive damage last summer, Hull said.

If the City of Winnipeg lacks resources to repair it quickly, it should do more to block off the area, said Hull.

“I understand there’s probably 101 different issues to deal with in 101 different parks around Winnipeg. (But if the city is) not going to repair it, then put a snow fence around it, so it’s safe.”

Coun. Shawn Dobson, whose ward includes the path, visited the site Wednesday.

“That’s horrible. That’s not a pathway by any means. I absolutely share the concern. This should be fixed right away, otherwise our pathway network is incomplete now because of this monstrous hole,” said Dobson.

The councillor said he immediately submitted a request that the city completely surround the hole with some form of barricade.

The extent of the damage could be linked to issues beyond flooding, so the repair may be more extensive than it first appears, Dobson said.

“It’s been getting progressively worse every year. Time to get it fixed right.”

A request to interview someone from the city’s public works department was not granted Wednesday.

In a brief emailed statement, spokesman Kalen Qually did not answer questions about how long the city expects it will take to repair the problem or why it has not been able to do so by this point.

“The site is currently barricaded and staff are looking into making more permanent repairs to the area,” he said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga