Yellowknife councillors question cost of Grace Lake floating boardwalk

Not all Yellowknife city councillors support a plan to provide public water access alongside one of Yellowknife's newest neighbourhoods at least not the way city administrators are pitching it.

The city is asking for councillors' support to spend $250,000 already set aside to develop and initially install a 250- to 350-metre floating boardwalk along the north shore of Grace Lake, where at least 15 new homes have sprouted near the shoreline since 2012.

The city promised to develop the boardwalk, plus a small network of connecting trails and a children'splayground, to people who bought lots in the subdivision. The money to carry out that work would come from the sales of those lots.

But councillors Rebecca Alty and Niels Konge voiced several concerns with that plan Wednesday. They say that the lifespan of the floating boardwalk is unclear, and the cost of taking the boardwalk in and out of the water every year will add up.

Alty asked the city to study the cost of installing a more permanent fixture like the floating bridge on the city's Niven Lake trail.

"If we're spending $250,000 every four years [on a floating boardwalk], this is going to add up really quickly to potentially the same price as making it right the first time. I'd like to send this back and get an idea on the bridge cost," she said.

Jeff Humble, the city's director of planning, said opting for a bridge would drive up the cost of the project and potentially force the city to jettison plans for the playground and trail development.

The city said re-installing the floating boardwalk every year would take less than a day and cost "a few thousand dollars."

Konge, a local contractor, balked at that.

"I must say I have a hard time believing that a three-man crew can pull out 250 to 300 metres of boardwalk in a day."

Councillors will debate and vote on the plan and any amendments to it on Monday night. Councillors Adrian Bell and Cory Vanthuyne said they support the plan as is.

Monday will mark the last meeting for the current citycouncil. Councillorselected (or re-elected) earlier this week will be sworn in on Nov. 2.