A gift to the future

St. Albert's mayor unveiled a literal pillar of the community this week as a gift to the citizens of tomorrow – one they won't open for 50 years.

Mayor Nolan Crouse unveiled a time capsule sculpture in St. Albert Place before about 60 people Thursday. The unveiling was part of the commemoration of Founder's Day (Jan. 14) and the city's Cultivating Our Future community vision plan.

Thursday's crisp, sunny weather was similar to the conditions Father Albert Lacombe and Bishop Alexandre Taché experienced when they stood atop Mission Hill and founded the St. Albert mission on Jan. 14, 1861, said Leah Kongsrude, city environmental services director and head of the vision plan process.

"Today we live in an amazing community that is strong and resilient because of the vision of not only the original settlers but of the many generations that followed," she said.

Some 6,000 people sent in their ideas over three years to create the vision plan, which sets out five pillars upon which the city's future is to be built over the next 50 years, Kongsrude said.

"We're being entrusted today to make this vision a reality."

Future's bequest

Edmonton artist Sandra Bromley created the sculpture. Dubbed "Bequest," as it is a gift to the future of St. Albert, it is a roughly 1.4-metre-tall by 30-centimetre-wide square column made of steel, stone and wood.

"If it's going to last 50 years, I think you want to do something that's simple, minimal and strong," she said.

Bromley said the base of the sculpture symbolizes the past, and is a 1,000 pound chunk of sandstone hewn from a 60-million-year-old boulder taken from a local farm. Atop it is a layer of elm, which represents life today and the city's commitment to the environment. Atop that is the capsule, an airtight stainless steel box that represents industry and the future of St. Albert.

Inside the capsule are 26 items city residents suggested would represent St. Albert as it was in 2016. The original plan was to put in 50, but staff pared it back as many of the suggestions represented the same subjects, said city communications advisor Juliann Burke.

Items in the capsule include a button from Rock'n August, a map of the city, a phone book, several bus passes, and a note from Crouse to the mayor of 2066 scrawled on the back of a pamphlet.

"Welcome to your world from me to you," the note reads, before going on to describe some of the big issues of today – including climate change, the new library, and traffic on St. Albert Trail.

Also included are the Dec. 7 and Dec. 31, 2016, issues of the Gazette, the former of which was picked due to a story on the city getting electric buses, and the June 24, 2015 story on the approval of the vision plan, Burke said. There is also a book on the plan's creation, copies of which have been sent to local libraries and museums.

One of the odder items is a paper cup with a deer wearing a sweater and sunglasses drawn on it – one of several cups doodled by local youths during the 2016 Amplify Festival, Burke said. Also featured is a realistic illustration of a deer by student Kirsten Sorensen that was displayed at an exhibit at The Collective.

Kongsrude said the 2016 stamps and coins in the capsule might be of most interest to future residents, as she questioned whether stamps or coins would still be used in 50 years time.

The plan is to open the capsule on Jan. 14, 2066. Until then, it will be on display in the St. Albert Place lobby next to the library – permanent display, as it's bolted to the floor, Kongsrude said. The capsule will be mentioned in the annual Founder's Day proclamation to ensure it's not forgotten.

Pictures of the items in the capsule are available at https://stalbert.ca/cosa/admin/stafuture/celebrating-the-vision1.