A staff report that will go before the Hearing Committee on Oct. 3 proposes the city move ahead with the plan, which aims to improve drainage and flooding issues related to the Whitson River. The plan dates back to 1999, but was shelved when Valley East was amalgamated into the City of Greater Sudbury in 2000.
“The proposed 29-hectare stormwater pond facility will be a small lake in the heart of the Val Caron community,” the report reads. “Over time, the lands surrounding the pond will take on a park-like setting. A future walkway is planned around the ponds and drainage channels to link the existing Dominion Park walkways to the Whitson River area.
“Although primarily designed for flood control, there is a large potential for both summer and winter recreational use. The facilities would be conducive to canoeing, kayaking, rowing, pedal boats, skating ovals, pond hockey, cross-country skiing and winter festivals.”
Once in place, improved drainage would allow 321 residential units already in the planning stages to move forward, as well as a major commercial development, the Cerilli Valley Centre.
The budget for the pond totals $7,282,885, with $3.5 million already set aside in a city fund, another $1.6 million from reserve funds and $2,151,500 to be recovered from developers who will benefit from the project.
The pond would reduce the need for culvert work in the Valley by $630,000, and would allow the city to sell land currently on the flood plain, netting an estimated $647,000.
