Lisa Hamilton’s home on Old Mill Drive overlooking the picturesque Etienne Brule Park, is typically a tranquil spot.
Yet, last week she and her neighbours were unable to sleep several days in a row as construction work continued around the clock in the park, situated in the Humber River valley, just north of Bloor Street West.
"The work suddenly started up three nights ago and continued all night," Hamilton told The Villager, Thursday, Dec. 18. "It made our windows shake."
While she could escape the noise at the office, her husband works from home.
"Last night, I debated going down (to the park) in my pajamas," said Hamilton, about speaking directly to the construction workers to get some answers.
She and her neighbours, members of the Old Mill Humbercrest Neighbourhood Association, traded emails during the night, unable to sleep, trying not to go "insane." They called 311, Toronto’s customer service line, the councillor’s office and Toronto Parks and Recreation department staff, but with no immediate response.
Because of residents’ perseverance and help from Parkdale-High Park Councillor Sarah Doucette, a letter was distributed to the community explaining what the construction project was and how long it would last.
As part the residential condominium towers being built at 1 and 2 Old Mill Dr., there are existing sanitary sewer legs within Etienne Brule Park upstream of the Baby Point Pumping Station that need to be upsized to accommodate "a marginal increase in sanitary flow," engineer Rasheed Serrano of the firm GHD Inc., said in the letter.
"Based on the location of the proposed construction, all sanitary flow that is currently directed to the Baby Point Pumping Station needs to be bypassed around the work area to allow for installation works within the pumping station itself," he explained.
To complete the bypass, several vacuum trucks suctioned the flow upstream of the station. This is what caused the construction noise. There will not be any further overnight work for the rest of this year.
"Bypass pumping will be needed to connect the new sanitary sewer line to the existing line in the intersection of Catherine Street and Old Mill Drive, however, the bypass pumping would be complete before 11 p.m.," Serrao said.
Overnight bypass pumping will be required again for two days during the first week of January. A notice will be sent to homeowners when those days are confirmed.
A spokesperson for Doucette said the councillor was aware that the sewer was being replaced, however, not aware of the scope of the work and the noise that it would cause.
"It is a great relief to finally be able to sleep at night," said Hamilton, just days before Christmas.
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free).
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation