Overnight construction at the the intersection of Enterprise Way and Spall Street is frustrating a Kelowna resident who says she was unaware that her sleeping would be interrupted for a week.
Despite Kelowna’s Good Neighbour bylaw the construction was approved by city council from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. from April 28 to May 3.
The bylaw, which prohibits construction noise between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., was bypassed under the discretion of the city development services department for the hotel and condominium construction.
“The night work was necessary because they were doing underground utilities,” said Marnie Douglas, communications consultant for the City of Kelowna.
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Considering the traffic volume at the intersection affected by the construction, the city could not shut down such a busy road during the day, said Douglas.
“It would be chaos,” she said.
However, Robyn Toor, who lives at 1920 Enterprise Way, claims that her building did not receive any notice about construction or noise.
Toor said the only notice provided was a piece of paper that read, “Notice of Possible Water Shutdown,” issued by Dig It Contracting Ltd.
Toor said that the noise was unbearable, calling it ‘inhumane’.
“I barely slept last night because of how loud the noise was and I am not a light sleeper,” said Toor in a string of emails with the city.
Toor said that out of all the cities she has lived in including Vancouver and Victoria, she has never had to deal with that extent of construction noise.
“It really surprised me that any city in North America would do this.”
Toor attributes this to having lived in “more well off areas,” and alleged that this type of overnight construction was permitted because it was not a prime area.
After a lengthy correspondence between various city council members and Toor it was Mayor Colin Basran who replied to Toor. He recognized the inconvenience while also asserting that the “area’s residents and businesses were notified through several means, including two electronic sign boards, written notice to the strata and postings on doors in the building.”
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On Wednesday, May 15, Toor claimed construction continued again at 6:30 a.m.
David Venn Reporter, Kelowna Capital News Email me at david.venn@kelownacapnews.com Follow us on Facebook | Twitter
