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Loose gravel on sidewalks a growing concern

A Black Diamond senior’s blood gets boiling as he watches more elderly residents staying in for fear of falling because of loose gravel on sidewalks across the community.

A Black Diamond senior’s blood gets boiling as he watches more elderly residents staying in for fear of falling because of loose gravel on sidewalks across the community.

Sixty-nine-year-old Glen Mead Park resident Gordon Tomke walks several times a day, but, like many elderly residents in the town where seniors make up almost a third of the population, he’s worried about slipping on loose stones on sidewalks along alleys and gravel driveways.

“With a walker, when you hit it with your wheels you about land on your nose,” he said. “These sidewalks are used a lot by people at the lodge. Some who used to walk into town don’t do it anymore.”

Tomke is recovering from paralysis in his legs, and over the last several months has progressed from a wheelchair to a walker and now a cane.

“When I was learning to walk again I fell in front of a business,” he said. “You step on any of these things and it will topple you over. You get overly cautious.”

The fall hasn’t stopped Tomke from his daily walks, which he attributes to his recovery. However, he said the Town and property owners need to eliminate these dangers to get more seniors out walking.

Tomke said he’s brought his concerns to Town council several times, but it remains a problem.

Sharlene Brown, Black Diamond chief administrative officer, said the Town has dealt with Tomke’s concerns on a case-by-case basis, but it doesn’t have the resources to frequently remove loose gravel from sidewalks.

“We have the equipment but we don’t have the resources in manpower and dollars to be able to adequately resource sidewalk cleaning on a regular basis,” she said. “If the community sees it as a priority we can incorporate that into the budget, but there are always financial implications.”

Brown said the Town cleans its streets, as well as sidewalks along the two highways, at the beginning and end of summer every year.

“When it comes to alleys adjacent to sidewalks we do not have a town policy to say we are going to clean all of the sidewalks,” she said. “It would be the owner’s responsibility to make sure the sidewalk is clear.”

Brown encourages property owners to work together to keep sidewalks safe for walkers.

“We want to keep our community a nice place to live, to work and to walk around,” she said. “In order for that to happen it’s important for people to clean up their sidewalks and boulevards in front of their property. If there is an alley adjacent to their property, if they want to be nice neighbours, sweep that too.”

Leslie Miller, president of the Griffiths Senior Centre board of directors, said he’s recently been hearing complaints from seniors about loose gravel on sidewalks throughout Black Diamond.

“There are a number of areas in town that I’ve had mentioned to me by my seniors community,” he said. “Even at the town office where they are doing construction (in the parking lot) there was gravel across the sidewalk that shouldn’t be there. It’s difficult enough for some of them to get around.”

Miller, who is also running for the mayor seat in Black Diamond’s Aug. 22 byelection, said the senior centre board will discuss the issue at its September meeting and likely bring their concerns to council.

While he hasn’t heard of anyone slipping and falling on the loose gravel, he said the potential is there.

“A lot of seniors have walkers and there is a lot of seniors where their balance isn’t as good as it used to be,” he said. “If they are walking along and there is one stone that is two inches big, they step on it and down they go.”

Miller, who has a gravel driveway, said he does his due diligence as a homeowner.

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