City officials won’t be taking the steps necessary to remove landmark staircases that help pedestrians navigate their way through uptown Flin Flon.
Coun. Bill Hanson has retracted a previous proposal to tear down the wooden walkways that run between homes from Hapnot Street to Callinan Street.
“I was approached by many, many people that live in that area that use those stairs,” he said at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Hanson said four or five landlords previously approached him about removing the walkways, which run within touching distance of several private homes.
“It’s very hard on their properties. They suffer constant mischief and littering on their properties,” he said.
But Hanson said he also spoke to 25 or 30 residents who use the walkways and want them to stay in place.
And so the demolition proposal, first mentioned by Hanson in 2013, was taken off the table.
But Hanson, who previously said an RCMP officer told him the walkways were becoming crime zones, said he himself would not walk on the staircases at night.
“Not now,” he added.
For generations, three sets of staircases have offered pedestrians a shortcut between Hapnot and Hill streets, Hill Street and Callinan Lane, and Callinan Lane and Callinan Street.
Council has shown a willingness to block access to walkways if concerns surface. In 2013, the city sealed off the so-called Hong Kong alley on Main Street amid concerns that it was being used as an outdoor urinal and as a conduit for illicit behaviour.
