Last week highlights
Last week, I released the first post in a series where I’ll talk about the upcoming election and related concerns. My first post looked at how councillors funded their campaigns in 2017 and information about the cost of running a campaign. My next post will likely comment on the time-commitment required of councillors, but I’m open to ideas if anyone wants to request a topic that might be of interest to residents or potential candidates.
Homeland Housing
In addition to my weekly touch-base with the CEO of Homeland, the board also finalized our strategic plan. I suspect this will be formally approved in the coming weeks and will be available on our new website.
AHS COVID-19 Community Conversation
I attended this session with Dr. Grazia Salvo of AHS to learn more about efforts that are being undertaken in Alberta to limit the spread of the virus. We also heard more about the approved vaccines and their roll-out. My hope is that St. Albert will see our own vaccine site sooner than later.
Elected Women Supporting One Another
Councillor Esslinger of Edmonton hosted this regular meeting of Edmonton-area elected officials. This is a valuable meeting for sharing experiences, particularly in an election year.
CLSC Agenda Highlights
Environmental Advisory Committee Recommendation
Our resident/volunteer EAC has recommended that:
“[Council pass] a Clean Energy Improvement Tax Bylaw under Part 10, Division 6.1 of the Municipal Government Act and a motion to authorize the CAO to take the necessary steps to establish a Clean Energy Improvement Program, in order to give interested and qualifying St. Albert property owners the opportunity to make clean energy improvements to their properties (thereby reducing St. Albert’s carbon footprint) for which the costs initially fronted by the City are paid or reimbursed over time through an annual special purpose property tax levy.”
Although all committees technically report to the CLSC, this recommendation is more in line with the responsibilities of the CGISC. My hope is that Councillor Hansen, our EAC rep, or one of our Environment staff will be on hand to explain what work has already been completed in this area. This discussion also might fit with Mayor Heron’s motion “That Administration bring forward a business case for the 2022 budget deliberations for a St. Albert based (HERA) Home Energy Retrofit Accelerator Program, including funding amounts per year and any administrative cost impacts”, which we expect to consider on April 6.
Arts Development Advisory Committee
Our resident/volunteer ADAC has recommended:
“that the Young Artist Legacy Grant proceed for 2021, and that the changes to the Young Artist Legacy Program Policy redlined version presented in option #2, and that the policy be reviewed again prior to 2022”.
This means that the ADAC is recommending that a spring grant program policy is given a housekeeping update to align it with the Public Art bylaw we approved last year. They’re also recommending that the policy be given a full refresh at a later date after 2021 grants have been awarded based on the existing eligibility criteria.
Municipal Historic Conservation Program Policy Updates
This is to consider updates to our policy and bylaw related to historic sites, including “transferring duties of the Heritage Advisory to the Arts and Heritage Foundation of St. Albert, expanding the definitions and components of the program, and revising and reducing the funding formula to $.75 per capita where the previous year saw 3 or more applications, and $.20 per capita in years where the previous year saw 2 or less applications”. This is in-line with decisions made last year and in the spirit of ongoing collaboration with the Arts and Heritage Foundation of St. Albert.
CGISC Agenda Highlights
10-year Growth Plan Update
Every year, we review the projects in our growth plan to make sure that unfunded projects should continue to be considered, and to add new ones as they become required. This year, Administration is recommending that we remove 7 projects and add 4. They have also recommended that Council consider a more in-depth review to remove additional charters because we do not have the funds to move forward on all projects on the list. Charters recommended for removal include:
Subdivision Entrance Signage ($791,000).
City Parking Lot Structure Upgrades ($6.7M). This is to upgrade gravel parking lots.
Reception CentreGroup Lodging Supplies ($49,000). I believe this has to do with times when we are the reception area for people displaced due to emergencies.
Servus Place Expansion - 25m, 8 Lane Pool ($23.3M). With plans moving forward in the new Recreation lands RR260 area, this pool should be developed as part of a new complex.
Servus 6th Arena Ice Surface ($23.1M). Like the land pool, at least two new sheets of ice should be developed in the RR260 area.
Servus Fitness Expansion ($6.4M). Administration has advised that the current estimates may not be relevant considering 2022 construction costs, so this charter should be replaced with up-to-date information.
Story Boards ($82,300). This is for a Culture project, I believe for historical story boards along the Red Willow Trail system.
Charters recommended for addition include:
Kingswood Park Boat Dock ($178,500). I’ve heard many residents ask for this, so it’s not surprising to see this added.
Enterprise Asset Management ($1.1M). This is “to replace the City’s current computerized maintenance management system (IPS) with a enterprise asset management system (EAM) that will be tightly integrated with the existing enterprise geographical information system (GIS)”.
Municipal Area Network Expansion ($500,000). This is to “extend the Municipal Area Network (MAN), to the north and west, enabling the monitoring and control of traffic signals on Ray Gibbon Drive, new intersections, and other locations not yet connected. The project will also create some ring-shaped paths to provide redundancy in the event of damage to the primary network. Connections to water reservoirs will improve the safety and security of the City’s water supply”.
Community Amenities Site ($139M). This number seems astronomical, but it’s for a series of projects over the course of a decade and within a new recreation centre including a new pool, indoor ice, indoor artificial turf field, and pedestrian access. I suspect that there will be considerably more clarity around this project after public engagement and site planning exercises are completed.
This is a brief and incomplete overview of our meetings, 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. Members of the public can also register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.