Week of June 5th – June 9th, 2023

Talbot Street Stage 1 is progressing well. All of the deeper excavations have now been completed and the surface work has been started.

Here’s what the next few weeks will look like and what to expect for access as a business or residents. Below is a list of some of the upcoming tasks to be completed. The order of operations listed below may not be the exact order in which they occur but will be the general path moving forward.

Upcoming work will involve:

What to Expect:

• Removal of the construction fencing
  • In the coming week the construction fencing will be removed once it is removed please still respect the work zone and be alert to the construction activities that are happening, always look both ways before crossing the road and make eye contact with operators to make sure they see you. Try to maintain a safe distance from any moving equipment, stockpiles or trenches at all times.

• Removal of the existing sidewalk
  • The existing sidewalk will need to be removed to help facilitate the installation of the new irrigation system and to prepare for the installation of the new sidewalk.
  • The removal process will happen in block by block sections to help maintain access to as many businesses as possible
  • The removals will also happen in a linear path so access can be maintained ahead and behind the working direction. (there may be short periods where access to a business may be interrupted but should be restored fairly quickly.)
  • Once the sidewalk is removed the contractor will be grading the area for the new sidewalk this will involve removing the existing ground under where the sidewalk once was.
  • The sidewalk will be ramped at any entrances and areas it ties into existing sidewalk so there are no accessibility issues.
  • Crushed recycled asphalt will be placed temporarily to help maintain a solid walking surface
  • Notice of any access disruptions will be communicated in advance

• Irrigation system installation
  • During the installation of the irrigation system some of the piping will be placed under the sidewalks and required the sidewalk to be removed as noted above
  • Business access should be maintained during this process with minimal disruptions.
  • Work will be done ln a linear path similar to the sidewalk removals so access before and after the installation area will be maintained with possible short durations interruptions as they work past each entrance.
  • Notice of access disruptions will be communicated if access will be restricted

• Sidewalk prep
  • Once the irrigation system has been installed sidewalk prep will occur.
  • They will be placing a granular material and wood forms to hold the concrete while it is being poured (see picture below for reference)
  • Access to business during this process cannot be guaranteed and will take 1 day or less typically to complete
  • Advance notice of this work will be given to business and residents

• Sidewalk placement
  • Sidewalk placement will be communicated in advance of being completed
  • During this process access to businesses will be unavailable for a minimum of 12 hours
  • Sidewalk will be poured block by block and will generally begin at the start of the day around 7am
  • If the sidewalk is placed early enough throughout the day, access may be restored later in that evening
  • Access to residential apartments will be maintained as required
  • See photo below of what the concrete placement process will look like

• Brick Paver placement

• The placement of the brick paver should not have any impact to business or resident access

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Downtown St Thomas is OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Dear Property Owner/Business Owner/Resident,
The Talbot Street Phase 3 project has been approved by City Council and it will proceed to construction in March 2023.
Important Dates:
Week of March 13th – Setting up traffic control, construction signage, and fencing in stage 1 of the project (Mary St. to City Hall) Vehicle and on street parking will remain during this process.
Week of March 20th – Construction will begin in stage 1 (Mary St. to City Hall) Detour will be set up to route traffic around the construction zone. No vehicular or on street parking will be available in the first stage during construction.
The project involves the replacement of Sewers, Watermain, Utilities, Street lights, Road, and Sidewalk. Construction will generally progress from west to east with the first stage being from Mary Street to City Hall (March to July) and second stage from City Hall to Ross Street (July – October).
See below for some information on what to expect during construction.
Vehicle Traffic: To facilitate a safe work environment and a compressed schedule, Talbot Street Phase 3 will be closed to traffic. A detour route will be in place for each phase and is shown on the project website –
stthomas.ca/talbot.
Pedestrian Traffic: Sidewalk access to business’s will be maintained as much as possible. Construction activities that will impact access will be sewer and water connections, sidewalk forming and pouring and
utility adjustments. Advance notice will be provided when access will be restricted, and signage placed to indicate where the sidewalk is interrupted.
Parking: On street parking will not be permitted within the limits of construction during the project or outside of work hours, unauthorized vehicles must remain out of the construction zone and may be towed
without notice.
Water Impacts: Water service will generally be maintained throughout the project. There will be periods of time when connections are made to the new system that water will not be available. You will receive
advance notice of this work. After hour connections for business that are water sensitive can be made. Please reach out to Ryan Pflanzner at rpflanzner@stthomas.ca or by phone at 519-631-1680 ext. 4197 to request an after-hour connection during construction.
Vibration: Construction equipment can cause vibrations. Please ensure you protect any valuables susceptible to damage.
Garbage/Recycling Collection: Access for garbage/recycling collection will be maintained when possible. In the event there is a disruption, the contractor will pick up your garbage (where you usually leave it) and
move it to a location it can be picked up at. Please mark your municipal address on all your containers so they can be returned.
Further information can be found at stthomas.ca/talbot.

Accessibility Improvements
The city will be installing accessibility ramps and parking spots generally at the ends of each parking bay similar to what is now existing west of Mary Street. The sidewalk elevation in front of businesses will remain as it is today. This may be an opportunity to improve store front accessibility via. building modifications to the interior and / or vestibule entrance areas. Note that the maximum slope for a ramp is 5%. This means you will need 2m of distance to drop 100mm or 3m to drop 150mm. A building permit is required.
Internal Plumbing Investigations
The city has retained a plumber (Drain-Cam) to do internal investigations at some businesses and residences prior to construction to confirm sanitary and water service connections that are currently unknown, these investigations are important to ensure everything is re-connected properly during construction. If investigations are required to your building a representative from Drain-Cam will be in contact with you to schedule a time to do the investigation. These pre-investigations will help keep the project schedule on track by reduce investigation efforts during construction.
Further Communications
If you are interested in receiving e-mails with project status updates, send an e-mail to rpflanzner@stthomas.ca to be added to the construction update list. The Downtown Development Board will also be communicating project
updates.
If you have any questions about this project, please contact the City’s Project Manager:

Ryan Pflanzner, C.TECH.
Capital Works
rpflanzner@stthomas.ca
519-631-1680 ext. 4197

Situations may arise during construction wherein the city may want to contact property owners in a timely fashion. We would ask that you fill out the attached Construction Contact Form. We look forward to this project and the opportunity to renew and improve our City’s infrastructure.

Construction-Contact-Form
To be kept informed as to the Talbot Street Construction updates, please print, complete and forward this form according the instructions found on the form.

2 HOUR “FREE” PARKING
Even though parking on Talbot Street will be limited, you can still easily visit your favourite Downtown business using the many parking lots located with an easy stroll of Downtown St Thomas. Click to view and print a map of all parking lots.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS AND DRAWINGS

To view the construction details and drawings, please click on this link to visit the St Thomas website: https://www.stthomas.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=12189805&pageId=18925800

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