BRIDGEWATER - This town's budget may be in draft form but a resident of Eisenhauer Place hopes one fixture in the capital program stays put.

 Bridgewater has set aside $60,000 to install temporary traffic lights where Haven Drive and Seasons Drive meet North Street. Sherry Aulenback, who presented a petition to the town and started a group on an internet social networking site, hopes the signals become reality.

 "It's good to hear. That makes me very happy," she said.

 Given the new office building near the intersection and current volumes of traffic, she said the lights are a long time coming.

 "This is great news as long as we get them and the budget doesn't change."

 For his part, Mayor Carroll Publicover said he intends to support the item staying in the capital blueprint.

 "I'll be fighting to have that remain in the budget," he said April 26, after council discussed the document.

 If approved, the lights could be up before year's end.

 The concept is to keep the temporary signals until a larger-scale street upgrade takes place, then make them permanent. There's no time frame for the street upgrade, which also includes a roundabout where Aberdeen Road, North Street and Glen Allan Drive meet. There is $300,000 budgeted for land acquisitions, surveying and legal fees in relation to the upgrade.

 There are 35 capital projects proposed for 2010-11, including six engineering items, worth an estimated $1.1 million, slated for sanitary and storm sewer jobs. Bridgewater's getting cost sharing from Ottawa and the province on that work.

 Other projects of note include $40,000 for the police to operate a video surveillance program, while the fire department has earmarked $610,000 to replace its 22-year-old rescue truck.

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 Meanwhile, Foley Lane resident Bill Rhodenizer attended last week's council meeting but didn't address council. Mr. Rhodenizer's spent years lobbying for upgrades to his street.

 He may be waiting for a long time before he sees it as $554,000 is budgeted for a "future" year.

 The Foley Lane matter has underlined for some councillors a problem with the point system used to grade capital work priorities.

 The mayor suggested some projects may never make the cut.

 "We need another strategy to make sure we're addressing streets like that to, at least, some degree so that we can get started on some of the needs they have there," he said.

 "We're going to have further discussion on that issue for sure."

 In the meantime, Bridgewater is looking for feedback on its $17-million budget, which shows plans for hikes in residential and commercial tax rates.

  The draft document released April 19 identifies intentions of raising the residential rate to $1.669 per $100 of assessment from $1.628 and the commercial rate to $4.058 per $100 of assessment from $3.721.

 Council is taking public comments up to May 10 at which time it hopes to pass its budget and set the rates.

posted on 05/04/10