St. Albert city council voted July 2 against installing anti-slip material on city-owned wooden walkways, such as the Grey Nuns White Spruce Park boardwalk. Councillors opposed to installing the material argued it isn't needed.
The defeated motion, put forward by Coun. Sheena Hughes, was in response to a previous council decision in May not to install anti-slip material on the boardwalk in Grey Nuns White Spruce Park for $3,600.
“An essential, essential component [of accessibility], I think, is allowing people to be able to walk through the city without having to worry about slipping on areas that may be high risk,” Hughes said during debate.
READ MORE: 'Anti-slip material' won't be installed on White Spruce Park boardwalk
Hughes said the motion was to have the city assess the safety of the walkways, not necessarily to immediately install anti-slip materials. She also wanted to know if other municipalities incorporate the material in their building standards.
The specific motion council debated on July 2 was to have administration, in consultation with the Seniors Advisory Committee, develop a capital project charter to assess whether city building standards should include “slip-prevention provisions” on all city-owned wooden boardwalks, bridges, stairs, and walkways.
An administrative report to council said the city has no record of any concerns or complaints from residents about the lack of anti-slip material on the structures in question.
“Current engineering standards for wooden platforms, boardwalks, bridges, and active transportation structures do not have specific anti-slip standards but do consider general public safety through surface material selection, structure design, and/or operational controls,” the report said. It adds installing the material might not be fully effective since, for example, ice could still build up on the material.
Coun. Natalie Joly, who voted against Hughes' motion along with Mayor Cathy Heron, Coun. Mike Killick, and Coun. Ken MacKay, argued city administration has never received a complaint about slippery wooden walking surfaces.
“We've never received a complaint about this issue and because it's such an administrative matter, I'm confident that if there there were concerns that were brought forward ... I'm confident that staff would deal with it administratively, because that's what they do,” Joly said.
“I'm also quite concerned about internal capacity ... and I don't want to pile on more work when we've never received a complaint and when we don't have capacity.”
Hughes said she has personally received complaints from residents about slippery wooden walking surfaces.
“It isn't that this never has happened,” she said. “There's specific times of year where the anti-slip [material] is the most appreciated by those who need it.”
