FORT FRANCES – It’s been a wild summer for the Town of Fort Frances and their hard-working municipal staff. First fighting back, the flood from spilling further into their streets and now fix the damage the water caused after it crept back into the Rainy Lake.
To ensure public safety the following areas are still closed while flood clean-up takes place:
- Lookout Tower
- The Hallet
- Point Park Beaches
- Point Park Playground
- Point Park Ball Diamond
- Calder Drive (loop by Vanjura Ball Diamond closed to vehicular traffic)
- Seven Oaks
“Cleanup is coming along. With staff and contractors spread thin, we are trying to fit work in when and where we can to get through,” said Alyssah Hansma, Human Resources Manager for Fort Frances. “We are hoping to have more places around Point Park opened up by end of the week. Next week with Seven Oaks opening possibly the week following.
With winter looming, the town is focused on repairing the damage to large sections of storm sewers.
“We have a wide range of work to complete yet,” Hansma explains. “There are some replacements of failed infrastructure, some cleanup, some sandbag removal. For example, on Front Street, we have two fairly large sections of storm sewer to be replaced which involves material supply, equipment delivery such as coffer dams and dewatering equipment. Other work requires cranes which need to be scheduled around the contractors. It is a balancing act between town and contract resources to get the work done.”
For now, most of Front Street is open to the public, but Lookout Tower and the Hallet won’t reopen until next summer.
