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6 THE NEW TANNER Maria Street Bridge replacement tender awarded School bus stops and pedestrian safety issues for The Crescent Esposito Brothers Construction Limited, with a low bid of $778,347, has been awarded the tender to remove and replace the aging Maria Street Bridge, which is in poor condition. In a report to Council on Monday, staff said a temporary by-pass road would be built so residents of Poplar Avenue, Fairview Avenue and Crescent Street can get in and out of their neighbourhood. An existing path will be upgraded and cross the old Wool Combing property to meet the end of Frederick Street. The bypass will be able to handle emergency vehicles, and after the new bridge opens, the bypass will be left for emergency use only. Staff said they would work closely with Esposito Brothers Construction to ensure there is as little disruption to the local community, using a site specific inspection work plan featuring continuous site inspection from the start to the finish of each workday. Letters were sent to affected homeowners to explain the project and most responses related to access during construction and arrangements for school bus pick-ups. At Council on Monday, Acton Councillor John Hurst questioned where the schools buses would stop to pick up kids, and if there would be a pedestrian walkway. " We ' l l b e w o r k i n g with the school board and their transportation services provider through the summer, in terms of working out the exact details of how the school buses will access the site," Chris Mills, the Town's Director of I n f r a s t r u c t u r e S e r v ices and Town Engineer told Council, adding the school boards have the final say about bus stops, and the bypass THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012 can accommodate school busses. Hurst also asked about the alignment of the bypass road, saying residents expressed concerns about the safety of kids waking on the curving road. Mills said the bypass road would be "maintained in a safe manner." In an email Tuesday, John Kwarst, the Town's Manager of Design and Construction said if the school boards don't want to use the bypass during con- struction, the Town would "arrange, through the contractor, a shuttle service...a special bus that would use the road, (go) up into the area (to) pick up the kids, and basically drop them off at their usual stops on the main road," Kwarst wrote. Area residents will be given contact phone numbers and email addresses of Town inspection staff so any concerns or complaints will be dealt with quickly. Staff said this in an effort so the Town will "maintain complete control over the activities of the contractor and trades people." Mills said construction would begin "as soon as possible" and is estimated to take 45 working days. Options to cut pool rental costs A three per cent increase in pool rental fees will take effect in September, but Town staff believes that strategies developed by two swim clubs, which opposed the increase, will mitigate the additional costs. Both the Halton Hills Blue Fins and Halton Hills Synchro Club opposed the three per cent hike and over the past six months have met as an Aquatic Users Group to discuss cost-saving opportunities. The Acton Aqua Ducks did not oppose the pool rental increase. Those cost-cutting proposals include pool sharing, self-guarding ­ allowing qualified club members to act as life guards, thereby reducing their costs ­ and better use of the Acton indoor pool. WE'RE STILL CHANGING SNOW TIRES SPECIAL - $10 PER TIRE! Best New aNd Used tire deals! Quality/Service/Price with 25 years experience Tel: 519-853-8530 www.besttiredeals.ca 12865, Hwy 25 Acton, ON.