Crouse keeps CRB chair

Mayor Nolan Crouse got a big thumbs-up from local mayors this week as they voted to extend his term as chair of a regional board.

The Capital Region Board voted unanimously Thursday to extend Crouse’s term as chair of the board until Oct. 21, 2013. Crouse did not participate in the vote due to a conflict of interest.

The board is a provincially mandated group of 24 municipal mayors in and around Edmonton that manages the region’s growth.

Crouse became the board’s first elected chair this spring, said vice-chair Camille Bérubé. Concerned that having an elected chair might not work out, the board moved to have Crouse to serve less than a full term as chair, stepping down on March 31, 2013, and to review his performance in six months.

This put the board in conflict with provincial regulations, Crouse said, which required the chair to serve until the next municipal election (October 2013).

The board’s governance committee recommended that his term be extended to fix this problem. The board agreed, meaning he’ll stay on as chair.

Crouse has built strong relations with board administrators and members, Bérubé said, and has proven himself as a capable leader. “We’ve proven as a board that we can operate with a chair elected from amongst ourselves, and the board is supportive of Mayor Crouse continuing in that leadership role.”

Crouse thanked the board for their support. “I’m appreciative of the fact that they trusted me to do it.”

Skate park open

St. Albert’s skate park is open a month ahead of schedule.

Closed since September, the park opened Friday, after New Line Skateparks completed $97,629 in renovations and repairs. The $25,000 contingency set aside was not required and was used instead to add new enhancements.

Skate park users now have new rails, flat bars, rollover corners and transitions to show off their skills. A new bench is also being added.

Some repairs and installations are still ongoing, but the park can remain open while those are completed, according to the city. Some of those repairs include filling cracks and patches. City crews will also benefit from a user manual that shows them how to correctly perform future concrete repairs.

“This project is a great example of how collaboration between the city and its residents can result in innovative and exciting ideas that can provide a lasting legacy for youth in our community,” Micah Seon-King, community recreation co-ordinator, said in a press release.

The facelift is the first for the park since it opened in 1998.

Bridge repairs

Four of the city’s pedestrian bridges will see some maintenance work this fall and potentially into next year.

The cost of performing rehabilitation work on the McKenney, Berrymore, Braeside Ravine and Oakmont pedestrian bridges is estimated at $250,000.

The four bridges were identified for repairs in the city’s long-term bridge maintenance strategy. Work on the McKenney Bridge started Wednesday. Repairs on the remainder could carry over into 2013 depending on the weather.

Specifically the bridges will see new signs asking cyclists to dismount while crossing, narrower gaps between railings and repairs of normal wear and tear.

Comments

NOTE: To post a comment in the new commenting system you must have an account with at least one of the following services: Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, OpenID. You may then login using your account credentials for that service. If you do not already have an account you may register a new profile with Disqus by first clicking the "Post as" button and then the link: "Don't have one? Register a new profile".

The St. Albert Gazette welcomes your opinions and comments. We do not allow personal attacks, offensive language or unsubstantiated allegations. We reserve the right to delete comments deemed inappropriate. We reserve the right to close the comments thread for stories that are deemed especially sensitive. For further information, please contact the editor or publisher.