Despite cost overruns and a three-week delay, the second phase of the Riel Park redevelopment will start Monday, city officials confirmed Thursday.
The project involves remediation of 8.4 hectares of the former Riel landfill and reconstruction of the Kinsmen rodeo grounds, BMX track and Rotary Park. It was delayed by three weeks after city engineers consulted with ATCO Pipelines about whether two high-pressure gas lines beneath the rodeo grounds could withstand the weight of nearly two metres of dense clay.
Tracy Allen, capital projects manager for the city, said crews will be on site starting Monday after the city finalized arrangements with the affected user groups.
"We needed to do extreme due diligence," Allen said. "ATCO and the city wanted to take a very cautious approach in ensuring that those lines would be secure before proceeding."
Council recently topped up the budget for phase two by more than $2 million, for a total cost of about $8.4 million. One of the reasons for the budget increase was concrete work around the gas lines, along with a construction tender that was higher than expected.
The one- to two-metre clay cap will be spread across the site to prevent groundwater from mixing with the former landfill. Allen said there was concern the weight of the cap could compromise the pipelines, located parallel to each other at two and four meters deep, respectively.
After discussions with ATCO, Allen said there is no longer reason for worry. To ensure the pipeline will not leech into the landfill or vice versa, three cement plugs will go around the pipes at determined points.
"It's been interesting and challenging, to say the least," she said.
Demolition
Allen said the city would spend the first couple of weeks demolishing the bleachers at the rodeo grounds, the rodeo pit and the BMX track. The clay cap will then be packed on top so that construction of buildings can start in mid-September, wrapping up in December. Landscaping will be completed next year.
Most of the work will be completed by May or June, when user groups would be able to resume operations. However, Allen cautioned those timelines are weather dependent, and significant moisture could delay re-opening.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit concerned, but we understand the risks," said Neil Korotash, a director with the St. Albert Kinsmen, which operates the Rainmaker Rodeo and the nearby RV park. "We're not overly, overly concerned about how it will impact our event next year."
Rotary Club members Terry Van Nes and Ross Algar said they were looking forward to seeing ground break on their new park along the west side of Riel Recreation Park, near the crossing to Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park.
However, Algar admitted there was a time when they weren't sure when the project would start.
"About 18 months ago, we were ready to drop the project," said Algar after the meeting. "But we talked with the city and they assured us it would happen."
As part of a motion made earlier this month, Mayor Nolan Crouse and Coun. Len Bracko will try securing dollars from the provincial and the federal governments to cover phases three and four of the reclamation work.
