Lake Country residents say neighbourhood under siege by dust

Oceola Road in Lake Country is going through a major overhaul.

Crews have been tearing up the road since March and residents of a nearby trailer court have had more than their share of dust.

“Everything in the house is coated with this fine dust,” resident Laura Beaudoin said. “It’s not just your furniture. It’s in your carpets, your drapes, your bedrooms.”

Neighbour Suzanne Smith feels like her home is under siege.

“We can’t sit outside. We can’t open our windows. We can’t turn on our air conditioners at night. We literally can’t do anything except breathe dust,” Smith said.

Many of the vehicles in the trailer court are covered with a thick layer of dust. Some residents are having to wash their vehicles almost daily.

Lake Country Mayor James Baker sympathizes with the homeowners. He said the contractor is struggling to keep the road watered down.

“The contractor finds it difficult to get as much water to totally lay the dust during operating hours. They try to keep it well watered for the evening when it’s open for all traffic,” Baker said.

Baker says motorists who are not obeying the 30 km/h speed limit are only compounding the dust problem. He said the contractor is about a week behind schedule, meaning the residence will have to put up with the problem until crews start paving the road sometime next week.