St. Albert will go ahead with its study on running an LRT line through the city and put on the shelf any further work on preventing trains from blowing their whistles in the city limits.
Faced with criticism for spending $500,000 on an LRT study and pleas from one resident to silence train whistles for good, city council defeated a motion by Coun. Cam MacKay to use the $500,000 in the LRT reserve to pay the cost to silence train whistles. Only MacKay supported the motion.
Council learned last month the cost to upgrade all of the train crossings in St. Albert to CN’s required standards for whistle cessations was $400,000 more than it had budgeted in 2012. It voted to stop all work as a result.
“I really don’t like having two important projects being pitted against each other,” said Coun. Cathy Heron. “I think train whistle cessation should go forward but LRT is also important.”
Coun. Len Bracko has been the driving force behind getting the LRT study done. The functional alignment study would look at what route an LRT line would take. It would be built off Edmonton’s northwest line, which as yet is unfunded. A rough estimate of building an LRT line through St. Albert is $1.2 billion.
Coun. Wes Brodhead, a retired Edmonton Transit employee who has championed whistle cessation, voted against MacKay’s motion.
“You’ve certainly struck on two projects near and dear to my heart,” Brodhead said. “I’d like to see them both go forward. I believe in planning for a capital program the size and breadth of an LRT line.”
Council heard from both LRT study opponents and whistle cessation proponents before its vote. Sheena Hughes, a possible council candidate this fall, upbraided councillors for spending $500,000 on a study for a project that might never happen.
“We have not had the provincial or federal governments promise us a cent for (LRT),” Hughes said. “Just because the money is out there doesn’t mean we should start spending.”
Leah Delage, a 37-year resident of Mission, told councillors she suffered from chronic ear infections because she has to sleep with earplugs at night to drown out the whistle noises. She offered the city $1,000 of her own money to help fund the train whistle cessation project.
“Even if the cost had risen, what about your promise to us as tax-paying citizens?” Delage asked. “Why can’t you redirect money from another project to address this extremely important issue once and for all? If money can be found for statues, Starbucks and Servus (Credit Union) Place, why can’t we citizens have these crossings?”
Councillors also approved the terms of reference for the LRT study. It will identify the corridor for the LRT, as well as rights of way and stop locations.
“It would be a fairly strong demonstration of the city’s intention to commit to LRT and provide the basis for receiving funds for further work on LRT from other levels of government,” said St. Albert Transit director Bob McDonald.
The study would also provide a rough estimate of the total cost. Work will begin in 2014 on the study and it should be complete in 2015.
