Now, isn't that putting the cart before the horse. Yesterday and today they are putting up new light standards and signal at the intersection of Plessis and Dugald. Its like putting up a bar sign on a deserted island, sure you want a drink, but there is no place or no one to pour you one.
You could say, 'yeah but, they needed to move the standards anyways, so might as well install new lights and signals at the same time'. Who's to say that the guy with the can of orange paint was looking at the right set of plans when he put the 'X' on the ground?
Anyone here do a drive-by from the south up to Dugald Rd? With having all that right-a-way, you would think that the curve would be more gradual and the alignment of underpass and the roadway would have a better flow pattern. Also, the new freshly laid asphalt in the west bound lane, sure has some rollers and abrupt endings in it for newly laid (and paid for) asphalt, and that is the final layer. Which leads me to believe that the last contractor to work on that stretch of roadway, just added base to the already existing loon shit (silt) roadbed that was existing from 1969. They dug enough holes in the roadway from Paulsen's (Vickars) to Custom Castings to know that there isn't any solid base under there, so why not fix it right!
I did notice that they spent a long time (about a week and a half) on the SW corner in front of Bernie Wolfe's house. I do remember an old story about how water came to the S/S of Dugald Rd. back in the 60's.
Back in the early 60's, Transcona sewer and water extended down the W/S of Plessis to the last house (1170), as well as the sidewalk ended too. A chip stand on the N/S of Dugald Rd. opened up and operated for a year, The City inspector stopped in to find that no building permit or sanitary services existed for the property. Subsequently the owner, Dick Hargreaves was given notice that he was to have sewer and water installed in order to have a chip stand or he would have to shut it down. He paid about $1200 for the 1 acre lot, business was good, so he decided to have it installed. After arranging for a S&W contractor to install the piping, the contractor arrived to find that no sewer or water existed existed on the street. So Dick went to see Transcona Water Works to see when pipes would be installed and complete the hookup to his property.
Harry, the City foreman (aka dog catcher, water works, snow clearing, etc.) explained that it would have to go to Council and be voted on, be approved, tenders to be called, and installation be done. Dick said, he was given 3 weeks by the inspector to complete the work. Enter, Bernie Wolfe, newly appointed Transcona councilor, who suggested he would see what he could do to speed things up. (also note, Bernie never could pass up a gift horse) In no time at all, all approvals were obtained and a backhoe was digging down the ditch along Plessis, under the CN tracks, and was fast approaching Dugald Rd. Turning the corner on to Dugald became somewhat of a problem because no one had a 90 degree elbow for the sewer or the water lines. 'Well, just keep going with what you have, leave the trench open and we'll fix it up when the parts come in", is what the contractor was told. A couple weeks later, parts came in and the trench was closed up, Dick had his sewer and water, the City inspector was happy and everyone was happy. Except for maybe, the contractor and the supplier of the materials. Not to bore you, but I don't think that bill was ever settled and you think we could just put a period there and call it a day.
No so. Come winter 1971, not much snow cover and very cold temperatures, a call was received by Metro water works (the overseeing body of all City water departments) that a residence's (at the SW corner of Plessis and Dugald Rd.) water was frozen up and could they send someone out to take care of it. After checking City maps and no finding any information on the water lines, a two man unit was dispatched to unthaw the lines listed on the work order. A subsequent call from the local councilor then made it a top priority. The first crew arrived and varified that the water lines were frozen. They proceeded to located the water line and follow it back from the house, across the lawn, through the trees, past a well, through some swamp and cattails, through a ditch, under Dugald Rd, and finally, to the water line in the bottom of the ditch. By then the other crew was on the scene and a backhoe was called in to dig down to the water line and locate the connection. When they located it, they attached a 'stinger' (portable DC generator capable of supplying 250 or more amps) to the copper water line and proceeded to extend the other end of the stinger to the other end of the pipe. The 100 coil of line was unrolled and could only make it to the other ditch on the S/S. A call was placed to the office to bring out another length and that made it through to the trees. When the next call came in to the office, the supervisor inquired where they were taking all this cable and that there was no more extra cable in stores. Extra cable and ends were brought in from a local welding supply house and made up, but it wasn't until the next morning that they went out to the job site. In the meantime, the local councilor, Bernie Wolfe had made several inquiring calls as to the whereabouts of the Waterworks crew and when the water would be back on.
The waterworks supervisor arrived along with the extra cable and the final connection was being made to the house side of the water line when he walked in the backdoor of the house and was face to face with the homeowner, Bernie Wolfe (aka the local councilor). The connection was made and the generator was started up and after a few minutes, water trickled from the tap. Bernie quipped to the supervisor that it was similar to how the water pressure was when he was watering his lawn in the summer and that the line should be enlarged. A member of the crew came up from the basement and said that they were having a problem downstairs and the everyone went down to the basement. Bernie asked what the problem was. The crew member said, " We couldn't find the water meter on the line?" Bernie, flashing a smile, say to the guy, " Is there suppose to be one?"
Apparently, while the trench was open for the weekend, someone had connected a copper water line with a saddle to the waterline, pushed a line under the roadway, and backhoed a trench, and installed the line to the house. Bernie said, he never knew how it got there and that his wife paid all the bills and he ASS-U-ME-D that he was always connected to City water.
I just smile everytime I go past that corner........
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