City To Hire Dedicated Coordinator For Ditching and Design in Rural Ottawa
- Clarke Kelly
- 5 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Ditching, drainage, and ditch maintenance has been one of the top issues my office has dealt with throughout this term of council and was key topic discussed during the 2024 Rural Summit.
I am now pleased to announce that the City has begun the process of hiring a dedicated coordinator for ditching and designing issues in rural Ottawa. This person will help streamline the process and coordinate work between multiple departments, when necessary, which in the past, has caused delays and confusion and resulted in a lack of action.
On Wednesday, I met with the Director of Roads and his team to discuss the importance of this new position, along with the ditching work that was done last season, and the plan for the coming spring and summer seasons.
We have definitely seen improvements in staff's response to requests made through my office on behalf of constituents and through 311.
Last season, 20 kilometres of planned ditch maintenance was done in Ward 5 with an additional 12.5 km of maintenance done solely in response to requests. I look forward to seeing this number grow next season with an additional $1.8 million for rural ditches this year and a new coordinator in place.
A great example is the culvert near the corner of Carp and a Kinburn Side Road. This replacement was not scheduled until 2027. I did a site visit with a resident and property owner, raised it with staff, and we were able to move it up by two years.
It’s great to have a plan but the City must continue to adjust and react when end of life or maintenance plans don’t link up with reality. That’s something I have been trying to hammer home for 3 years and am happy to finally see some progress.
If you have a question about this or any other Ward or City issue, just send an email to Clarke.Kelly@Ottawa.ca or call our office at 613-580-2475.
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