OXFORD, N.S. -- Politicians at all levels gathered in Oxford Saturday to try and come up with a solution to the town’s growing sinkhole.
Minister of Municipal Affairs, Chuck Porter, along with PC MLA, Tory Rushton, met with Oxford Mayor Patricia Stewart to discuss who will pay for the geophysical equipment that is crucial to finding out what lies beneath – and how.
This comes just after a community information meeting was held on Thursday night, where experts stepped in to give the public some peace of mind
"The purpose was to have a general look as to what’s going on. A better understanding of what a sinkhole is and what causes sinkhole," said Linda Cloney, Oxford Information Officer.
A week earlier the town of Oxford released a request for proposal that included three areas of interest that the town is concerned about.
The first was the Lions Parkland, including Upper Main Street and the local businesses that surround it - like the Tim Hortons and the Irving, The second was parts of the Trans-Canada Highway, and the third was the broader area of the Lions Parkland.
Three proposals have been submitted to the town, but a decision has yet to be made. In the meantime, Nova Scotia is in the process of collection LIDAR imagery across the province.
Officials recently deployed that survey to cover the Oxford area in light of the sinkhole development.
"LIDAR imagery involves laser scanning of the surface, and they removed the tree canopy, the result is a bare earth model. So we'll be able to use this LIDAR imagery to really define the sinkhole development," explains Amy Tizzard, geologist for the province’s Department of Energy and Mines.
The water level of the sinkhole has been rising, and it’s not only about 30cm lower than the surrounding lake water, officials are hoping rain will hold off to keep the hole from getting any worse.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kate Walker
