Miette Avenue residents petition against landscaping solution

The grass isn’t greener along Miette Avenue for some residents who are put off by the new split rail cedar fencing erected along the median last month.

Ten Jasperites have signed a petition calling for the removal of the “corral” because not only is it unsightly, but also because its purpose is unclear. Though the document was not considered a legal petition based on the guidelines set out by the municipality, director of environmental services Ken Quackenbush responded in a letter written Oct. 6 to address the stated concerns.

“The first step is to explain why we needed it, hopefully with that explanation they’ll understand why it’s necessary,” Quackenbush said. “Some comments were people not understanding why it was necessary.”

The fence is intended to deter animals from destroying the vegetation. “The rationale is that although elk could jump the fence... they would be uneasy being inside the corral and so will move on to easier targets,” Quackenbush wrote in the letter. 

Though he’s unsure who specifically chose the type of fence that would be installed, Quackenbush said input regarding the median landscaping project was taken from Jasper’s Green Space Committee, the Public Working Group and from Tera Environmental Consultants.

The new landscaping was put in following the Streetworks construction project which updated infrastructure on Miette Avenue and in the surrounding area. In April of this year, residents were invited to attend a consultation session to provide input regarding what they’d like to see done with the medians. The consensus was in favour of natural landscaping.

The letter from Quackenbush also invites residents to come forward with suggestions for alternate solutions, which is especially important because opinions regarding the Miette Avenue medians could influence what’s done to the Connaught Drive medians – a project planned for the future.

“This is a demonstration project for the direction we want to go for down Connaught Drive as we’re changing from our turf grass medians,” Quackenbush said. “Now people can comment and if split rail cedar fence isn’t what they want to see, we want to hear it.”

Residents should know the landscaping will begin to look more natural after time, Quackenbush said, as the cedar fences fade and the plants take root. “It’s not like planting turf grass, it really takes some time,” he said. 

Jeanne Robinson, who lives on Miette Avenue, signed the petition to remove the fences and said she would have preferred plain grass, which is neat and tidy. “This is like a corral,” she said. “I kind of belly-ache about the way it was before, but now it’s worse.”

Resident Kim Dolny signed the petition as well and agreed that the fences are unsightly and seem to serve no purpose.

Miette Avenue homeowner Coni Bowen said last week that although she signed her name on the petition, she was getting used to the fences. She likes the idea of the natural landscaping and is especially pleased with the newly-installed sidewalks.

If an appropriate solution is found, Quackenbush said, it won’t be a problem to remove the fences, as they are not intended to be permanent. “The fencing was put in with the understanding that it’s temporary and reusable,” he said. Tera Consultants recommend leaving the fences in place for ten years, to allow the plants to become well-established.

The petition will be included on the agenda for the next regular council meeting on Oct. 21. Residents with suggestions regarding a solution to replace the fencing can contact either Quackenbush or municipality grounds manager Neil Wilson.