Owners of a busy 100 Mile House parking lot in need of repair are facing delays due to gas pipelines running underneath the pavement.
The parking lot at the South Cariboo Business Centre on Birch Avenue was badly damaged following the spring melt, according to building owner Konrad Schmid-Meil, with sections taped off due to the cracked and uneven pavement.
While seeking quotes to repair the lot, management discovered there are three gas pipelines running below the surface of the pavement, two belonging to Enbridge and one to Pembina.
When building management reached out to the gas companies, they were told they had to submit permit applications prior to starting any work. The permits were submitted more than three weeks ago, according to an email sent by management to the building’s tenants Tuesday afternoon.
Enbridge had responded to their permit application indicating it would have to do a site visit before the work could be approved.
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After what Schmid-Meil described as “a lot of back and forth,” between his building management and Enbridge, a site visit is scheduled for today, Thursday, May 20.
“Finally they are coming out to look at it and hopefully take it more seriously,” Schmid-Meil said, noting he had concerns about the lot’s safety given its current state.
“We have had a lot of complaints about the parking situation, there is not enough room for everyone who needs to park.”
A representative from Enbridge confirmed a site visit would occur “to determine where the pipeline is relative to where the work will be taking place.”
Further inquiries to Enbridge about the assessment process, the timeline of repairs and the possible safety risks of the pipeline location were not answered by Free Press deadline.
Todd Conway, director of community services with the District of 100 Mile House said while the parking lot is on private property, the district has offered to help Schmid-Meil navigate the “time-consuming” process of coordinating with Enbridge. He added he would be attending the site visit this week with the building management and Enbridge.
“To give you an idea of how long it can take, it took two months for us to get permission to do the work at the (South Cariboo) Visitor Centre this year,” Conway said.
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The parking lot next to the South Cariboo Business Centre on Birch Avenue is badly damaged after the spring melt. (Melissa Smalley - 100 Mile Free Press)
