The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Barely a week after a pedestrian was struck by a car, city council heard an ominous warning to make some traffic changes downtown. At Tuesday's council meeting, concerned resident Dennis Hydamaka called for improved access for pedestrians on the southernmost block of Hapnot Street. 'I hope that you're able to come to some kind of a resolution before somebody is killed,' he passionately told council. Hydamaka, a Hapnot Street resident, relayed how last week a pedestrian in the area was hit, non-fatally, by a motorist. In an apparent act of road rage, he said the driver then got out of the car and 'cold cocked' the pedestrian. 'There is not a crosswalk anywhere in that area. Nowhere. None,' Hydamaka said. 'There is not a sidewalk in that area. Nowhere. None.' He was critical of council for leasing to a private individual the western portion of nearby Glen Avenue, which had historically been used as a walkway. Hydamaka said pedestrians in the area must now use a 'makeshift pass' in the back alley behind Hapnot and Main streets. That forces them to walk on a section of a sewer box that is 'falling apart,' he said, disparagingly referring to the path as a 'goat trail.' Making matters worse, Hydamaka said, is the increased vehicular traffic the area has seen since the closure of Extra Foods. See 'Four...' pg. 7 Continued from pg. 3 That added traffic has also worsened what in his view was an already dangerous intersection at Fourth Avenue and Hapnot Street near the Co-op. Hydamaka called for a four-way stop at the intersection, saying cars parked along Fourth Avenue near the liquor store impede visibility. 'You stop (beside the) liquor store and there's a lineup of cars, you cannot see cars coming from Main Street until you pull out past the crosswalk,' he said. But Coun. Skip Martin, chair of the Traffic Commission, said that issue is 'common in a lot of places' in Flin Flon. 'There's a lot of intersections like that and I'm not so sure putting a four-way stop at every one of them is the answer,' he said. Needed more Hydamaka replied by saying Hapnot Street and Fourth Avenue needs a four-way stop 'a hell of a lot more' than South Hudson Street. Coun. Tim Babcock, who sat as mayor in George Fontaine's absence, assured Hydamaka that his previous letter on his concerns would be discussed by the Traffic Commission. He called for an end to the discussion by noting that the matter would not be resolved that night. Coun. Martin offered to speak with Hydamaka at some point after the meeting. Other highlights from the council meeting: Coun. Babcock reminded drivers to use added caution in school zones now that class is back in session. Coun. Babcock wished the Flin Flon Bombers good luck in their 2012-13 season, which begins tonight on the road. Coun. Colleen McKee urged residents to take part in the Culture Days celebrations slated for Sept. 28-30. Coun. Babcock commended the Flin Flon Skatepark Committee on last week's grand opening of the park, located beside Many Faces Education Centre. Coun. Bill Hanson shared a letter from a local couple thanking the city for a new stretch of pavement in Channing near Star Auto Body Shop.
