Council approved the contract recommendation during a September 29 emergency teleconference session. The contract decision was supposed to take place during the regular September 28 council teleconference session but that was cancelled because of technical difficulties.

The retaining wall alongside the creek shows signs of age, with some of the stones shifting out of place and cracks appearing in the concrete cap. The town received confirmation of $824,400 in provincial aid funding for the project. Hawkesbury’s share of the expense will be $192,600.

Reconstruction work on the retaining wall should take place between July and September 2021. During that time part or all of McGill Street where the retaining wall is located will be closed to traffic and detour routes set up.

Prior to start of the reconstruction work, the town’s public works department may also do another geotechnical engineering assessment of the retaining wall to determine if there has been any further shifting.