Famous Canadian handyman Red Green has long championed duct tape as a marvelous invention capable of repairing practically any calamity that a person might encounter. For about three years now it’s proven its worth in Scarth Street Mall breezeway, where its been used in three or four locations to patch areas of the floor that have become ripped and torn (see another example after the jump, and feel free to click to enlarge).
Considering that the floor’s almost two decades old, it’s held up remarkably well. Yes, when it’s wet from people tracking in snow in the winter or rain in the summer, the worn pebble does make the floor treacherous to walk on — especially in spots where the floor slopes a fair bit. But the duct tape at least limits the possibility of people tripping on an exposed seam or other tear.
As I noted in a previous post, people who live and work along the breezeway have been led to believe that Harvard Developments and the City of Regina are responsible for maintaining the breezeway. Indeed, in November 2012 they were assured by a city official that the city was aware of the breezeway’s deteriorating state and that money had been allocated to refurbish it in the second quarter of 2013.
By my calculation, it’s now the second quarter of 2014 — and so far nothing’s been done. During the course of a typical business day, I imagine several thousand people use the breezeway. So props to the makers of duct tape for all they’ve done to enhance the prospects of them navigating the breezeway safely.
