City hall launched an online map this year to update residents about the completion of seasonal lane maintenance work and plans to use the program for updates about winter plowing after blizzards.
City administration provided information during the recent city council meeting about the map during a review of second-quarter activities at city hall. The municipality launched the public-facing online map between April 1 and June 30.
Residents can find the map on the City of Moose Jaw’s website at moosejaw.ca.
The online map shows the progress the city has made to grade lanes and back alleys, with a red line indicating the work is incomplete and a green line showing the work is done, explained Darrin Stephanson, director of public works and utilities.
“So anybody can look this up and it (the map) will tell you the time and day maintenance was done on various segments around the city,” he said. “And we’re kind of excited we have this going.”
There will be a similar map in the winter to highlight roads that city graders have plowed after a snow event, Stephanson added. Residents can click on a section of the map to learn which streets are cleared and which are not.
“We think that heightens customer service. It helps people in the morning when they wake up, (so) if there is a snow event, they can check the map real quick and see which streets are clean,” said city manager Jim Puffalt.
Staff at city hall do not start answering phone calls until 8:15 a.m., but that is too late for people going to work, he added. So, residents can use the website to inquire about road conditions.
An online map that Coun. Crystal Froese has found handy is the capital projects map, accessible on the city website and app. She uses that app to find the status of construction projects throughout the community.
“I know when our street — which was last summer — had the cast iron water main and the sewer replaced, it took all summer and it was two blocks long,” Froese said.
“But we had really great report with the guys that were working and they started very early in the morning because it was very hot. And the hottest part of the day they would break … and then they would come back and work close to dusk.”
There were some project glitches because the workers were digging up old underground piping, Froese said. She wondered if city administration could add more features to the map indicating a project is delayed.
City hall releases information weekly about the cast iron program’s progress, said Puffalt. For example, city hall informed homeowners in the Sunningdale area in June that the project was delayed, but the contractor would finish it.
This is the first year the online lane map has operated, but city administration has many ideas to add to it, said Ryan MacKay, IT director. The municipality needed to produce something this year because of the program’s valuable information.
“So next year, we have talked about how we can update the map with not just timelines but budgets and other relevant information,” he continued. “The capital projects map pulls information out of our GIS system … . The more we use the GIS system to do our day-to-day work, the more we can flow this information to the public (in) real-time and faster, better and more accurate.
“So yes, expect a better capital map next year.”
MacKay added that the city app would include lane grading and snow removal in the future.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Sept. 12.
