Last week + Regular Council Meeting January 21, 2019
Last week:
Chamber of Commerce luncheon: All of Council attended the luncheon where Mayor Heron gave her annual address. It was great seeing the board being sworn in - this group is a tireless advocate for St. Albert businesses!
Economic Sustainability Advisory Board: All of Council also had dinner with our newly-named ESAB. These business leaders are a tremendous resource for the city and I look forward to hearing their voices on city plans over the next year.
Agenda highlights:
Lacombe Dog Park Plan ($188,000 + $120,000)
This is in consideration of an $188,000 + $120,000 upgrade to the Lacombe Park off leash area. $88,000 is being requested now for benches, garbage bins, “pee posts”, etc. and $100,00 for "shrub beds outside of the east park fence". At a future date, we could consider $120,000 for "naturalized plantings". $12,000/year would be added to the budget for maintenance starting in 2021 if we go ahead with the proposed plan.
Notes:
Placing “plantings along the fence line on the west side of the park… is not feasible as it would significantly impact the drainage in the park.”
Although $475,000 is available for this project from the “Major Recreational Lands and facilities - Dog License Fund”, there is another $634,000 plan to add two new dog parks in 2021/2022 that also requires a funding source.
Rail Safety Improvement Program and Funding (+$200,000)
In late 2014, $450,000 was approved to complete fencing along the Meadowview and Riel Drive railroad crossings. This was combined with about $300,000 of related project funding in 2016. Last spring after receiving a $500,000 grant, Admin advised that $200,000 of our portion was no longer required, so we reduced our portion of the project funding by $297,000. Now, we’re being told that another $200,000 is actually required to complete the project. I think this means the project cost is increasing from the 2018 estimate of $964,500 to $1.16M, but I can’t quite tell from the backgrounder.
Borrowing Bylaw North St. Albert Trail Corridor Management (1st Reading - $26M)
“As part of the approval of the 2019 budget, Council approved a project to begin the work for the capital infrastructure at the north end of St. Albert Trail. The cost of the project is currently estimated at $26 million dollars. The intent is to fund this project through borrowing with Alberta Capital Finance Authority (ACFA)… The amount established in the bylaw represents a maximum amount and is not a commitment by the municipality to borrow the full amount. The actual amount borrowed will be restricted to the current approved Council project budget. Should detailed design indicate a required amount in excess of the $18.95 million, a resolution to increase the project budget will be required.”
Facility Development Collaborations-Regional Soccer
This is an information item regarding the city’s memorandum of understanding with St. Albert Soccer Association (SASA) regarding their plan for a “Capital Region Soccer Centre”. SASA continues to move forward on this project, and is in discussions with the City of Edmonton, and potential provincial and federal funders.
This is a brief high-level overview of highlights from our meeting agenda, with my personal comments sprinkled in - In no way are my opinions representative of the official direction of council or the City of St. Albert. Please let me know of any typos or errors. As always, I also encourage everyone who is able to tune in the the live-stream of the meeting (3pm here) or attend in-person (3rd floor of St. Albert Place, hang a right getting out of the elevator). You can also register to speak if you have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.
