Just a handful of items make up the agenda for St. Albert city council's March 7 meeting, including a decision on whether $1.3 million is spent on replacing a bridge on Range Road 255, and a potential postponement of design work for Millennium Park.
The Range Road 255 bridge was closed entirely last October when city staff observed load restrictions were not being followed on the dilapidated structure. In November, council approved the use of $104,000 to design a replacement bridge.
According to a backgrounder prepared by city engineer Faizal Kanji, should council approve the $1.3 million replacement project, construction will start in April and be complete by August.
The Gazette will have an article dedicated to council's decision on the bridge replacement in the Thursday, March 9 edition of the newspaper.
The other main item on the March 7 council agenda involves two correlated motions put forward by Coun. Mike Killick about the city's ongoing Millennium Park project.
Killick's first motion seeks to postpone the design work scheduled for 2023, which currently has an approved budget of $337,100. The second motion seeks to have council and city staff complete a "visioning and site potential" workshop that will allow council to re-hash the conceptual plan for the downtown park.
A council backgrounder prepared by Manda Wilde, the city's interim manager of recreation facility development and partnerships, says if council approves Killick's first motion but not the second, all work on Millennium Park will come to a halt until council provides further direction.
Currently, the conceptual plan for the 3.5 hectare park space involves the construction of a pavilion building, a four season water and ice feature, and open lawn spaces.
The project charter says if Killick's motions are defeated, detailed design work as well as landscaping and servicing will be completed this year, followed by $2.25 million in further servicing work next year.
Actual construction of the pavilion and the year-round water feature isn't expected until 2029, according to the project charter.
The project's full budget is estimated at nearly $16 million.
The Gazette will have an article dedicated to council's decision on Killick's motions in the Thursday, March 9 edition of the newspaper.
