PICKERING — Gary and Desta Gould imagined they’d be making great use of their backyard in their first summer as a semi-retired couple.
But the Pickering couple say it’s been a far cry from peaceful, with construction behind their home during the summer months, and say they have not been able to use their pool with all the dust that settles in it.
“It’s all day from about quarter to 7 in the morning until 6 o’clock in the evening,” said Mr. Gould, a resident whose property backs onto major road work on Rossland Road.
The couple has been fleeing their home when they can most days to get away from the noise and diesel fumes.
“The noise is constant,” Ms. Gould said, over the noise.
“We’re sitting now talking to you and the whole house has been literally shaking,” her husband said.
Mr. Gould said they were informed of the work a year in advance, and knew about the road closures taking place, but “We had no idea what we were in store for.”
It hasn’t been much easier for their neighbours, Rosemarie and Josef Hummel.
“From two sides we’re shaking,” said Ms. Hummel. “I wonder if it’s healthy or not to be exposed to all of this shaking.”
The couple spent $3,000 on their garden this year and Ms. Hummel says they haven’t been able to enjoy it and the plants are all dusty.
“It has an impact on your quality of life,” she said.
The Goulds feel they deserve some sort of compensation for their experience since they pay around $8,700 in taxes, and Mr. Gould feels there has been some damage to their property.
“We’ve noticed on our pool the concrete deck cracked and it’s gotten much bigger over the summer,” he said, adding the pool liner seems to have stretched.
Bill Reid, Region of Durham project manager of capital construction projects, is aware of the situation but said complaints regarding construction are not common.
“We’re not getting complaints from people saying we’re damaging their property,” he said. “It doesn’t happen.”
He said there is a possibility of some damage if something’s already compromised, but said the noise and vibration is normal when it comes to road building.
“We’re building roads throughout Durham Region on a daily basis,” he said.
He explained the workers have to compact granite and material and use smooth drum rollers that vibrate, which he admits can be felt inside of a home. Work is generally done for 12 hours to make the most of a work day, he said.
At the time of the interview, Mr. Reid explained the construction near the Gould residence was going to shift soon but work will continue in the area until the end of 2017.
“Two years is a long time to have to go through this,” said Ms. Gould.
Mr. Reid said the work will only improve the area in the long run. A steep hill on Rossland Road east of Brock Road, which has been a source of worry for residents, will be flattened and the road widened.
“There’s been a lot of concerns with sight lines and everything at that intersection because there’s a big dip,” he said.
He added a storm management pond is also being built on the north side of Rossland and west of Brock.
Mr. Gould said he was told by the Region that if he can display any business loss, he may be able to put a claim in against the Region, but said he wouldn’t be able to show any losses at this point.
Sonia Coward, Durham Region risk and insurance manager, confirmed in an e-mail people are able to file claims for any allegations they feel are justified, including for quality of life reasons.
She said if the property owners have suffered a loss they believe the Region of Durham may be responsible for, they must file a notice of claim in writing to the attention of the regional clerk. The claim is then sent to the finance department’s insurance and risk management division, which investigates. If the investigation concludes the damages were a result of a Region construction project, the claim is then forwarded to the contractor. She added if the person knows the contractor details, they can send their claim directly to the contractor.
Ms. Coward was unable to answer how much money, if any, Durham Region residents have claimed as a result of construction issues.
“Typically, these claims are referred to the contractor. Durham Region is not a party to claims handled between the person making the claim and the Contractor,” she said in her e-mail.
Regional staff has met with Mr. Gould to hear his concerns and discuss issues related to the ongoing construction project on Rossland Road.
Ms. Coward says to date, the Region does not have any claims for the construction project on Rossland Road.
HOW THIS IMPACTS YOU
• The Region lists its construction projects at www.durham.ca/apps/works/cdeap/
• Work includes improvements to Brock Road from south of Rossland/Concession Road 3 and the C.P. Rail in Pickering
• The recommended design is to widen Brock Road to five lanes
• In addition to the road widening, the project includes the construction of two feeder watermains along Rossland Road
Source: https://bit.ly/2R6kNnT
