Riverside car park resurfacing should be completed by end of year
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THE resurfacing of Wick's riverside car park – said to be crucial to plans to regenerate the town centre – should be completed by the end of the year.
The timescale was agreed by the Caithness Committee at a special meeting called after councillors hit out last month when they discovered the project was not included in the roads capital programme for 2019/20. They were also unhappy about the lack of communication on the project, despite bringing it up on numerous occasions with officials.
At the time, members decided not approve the draft budget until the issue was resolved. Last Thursday, at the meeting in Wick Town Hall, they agreed to allocate just over £21,000 from the roads captial budget and use the money towards the cost of resurfacing the car park.
The work is expected to cost around £50,000 with the remainder coming from alternative sources, including funding from the Scottish Government for Wick town centre regeneration projects.
William Gilfillan, the director of community services, who took part in the meeting by video link, said all sources should be investigated, including wind farm community benefit funds.
Taking £21,282 from the roads capital programme will not impact adversely on surface dressing work planned in Caithness during this financial year although the Jetpatcher – used to fill potholes – will not be visiting the area. Other alternatives will be explored.
We would be on a hiding to nothing if we can't get this done.
Councillor Raymond Bremner, Wick and East Caithness, said the resurfacing of the riverside car park is part of the plans for the regeneration of the town centre and it needs to be repaired properly.
"We would be on a hiding to nothing if we can't get this done," he said.
If other funding could be found he asked if the council staff would be able to do the work.
Senior engineer Joanne Sutherland said that would be possible, although she said the work would not include the white lining, which is estimated to cost around £4000.
Ms Sutherland said the council would remove the surface and put in a layer of bitumen and use the planings on other car parks.
Councillor Nicola Sinclair, Wick and East Caithness, backed the plan and described it as "a step in the right direction".
Councillors supported the funding proposal and after consultation with officials agreed the work at the riverside car park should be completed by the end of November.
At the previous month's meeting Councillor Bremner said the riverside car park has been deteriorating for years and "needs to get fixed".
He said the repairs to the potholed car park are needed to help the regeneration of Wick town centre and traffic management plans.
Councillor Sinclair also expressed dismay at the lack of progress. "There are areas which reflect so badly on this town. The public don't care if the money comes from the educational budget or the roads budget. They just want to see the work being done," she said.
Meanwhile, a further meeting about the regeneration of the Wick town centre is to take place on June 10.
