St. Albert city council has been presented with a slate of repair and maintenance projects across the city in a 10-year repair, maintenance and renewal (RMR) capital plan, worth a total of $56.4 million in 2026.
Projects range from municipal building maintenance to landscaping for public parks and road repair.
Presented at the May 13 standing committee of the whole meeting, the 10-year RMR municipal capital plan covers a total of 28 municipal projects and programs worth $37.9 million, and 14 utility programs worth $18.4 million in 2026.
Some of the capital projects include $9.2 million for Transit Bus Lifecycle Replace, which the capital charter says "requires the replacement of transit buses, major bus components, shop and support equipment replacement after reaching the end of their individual prescribed economic and useful life."
The replacement is based on seven electric buses, 20 60-foot clean diesel buses, 35 40-foot clean diesel buses, and seven handibuses. The charter sees a $9.2 million commitment in 2026 and increases in following years — $13.3 million in 2027 and $12.4 million in 2028.
Other projects include $9.3 million over 10 years for Parks and Outdoor Recreation RMR. The project charter says the 2026 charter and beyond primarily focuses on Lion's Park.
"Established in 1957, Lion's Park is now experiencing challenges with drainage, security, and accessibility that can only be addressed through extensive landscaping and facility redevelopment."
The proposed work for Lion's Park is meant to retain the current park program, while "improving the park's long-term capacity to support community events and spontaneous use."
The $1.6 million for Servus Place upgrades is for the annual replacement, maintenance, and upgrading for equipment around Servus Place. It includes the following items:
- Installation of a fire alarm annunciator device (upgrade);
- Arena ice plant and ammonia infrastructure repairs and upgrades;
- LED upgrade and air curtain replacement;
- Scheduled maintenance for building exterior and interior.
"The 2026 Servus Place Lifecycle Program leverages opportunities for cost savings through energy efficient upgrades, such as boilers and LED lights," the charter said. "The program also fosters shared service arrangements by coordinating planned shutdowns with other departments to minimize disruption."
The charter says although there may be short-term operational impacts, it will "ultimately improve service reliability and efficiency."
There is $8.8 million for the repair and renewal of municipal facilities, with three buildings identified as priorities: Kinex Arena, Liggett Place, and Jack Kraft Facility. Hebert Road was also identified as needing extensive rehabilitation, St. Albert financial controller Deborah Johnson said during the committee meeting.
The annual funding investment of $8.8 million is an increase of the originally projected annual investment of $4.7 million established in 2020. The funding amount of $8.8 million will be in place from 2026-28, while 2029-35 will see the investment decrease to $6.5 million annually.
City administration told councillors during the meeting "with any RMR program, sometimes we have to switch things up because something fails faster than we thought it was going to. "
The 10-year RMR capital plan will be back in front of council for approval during its June 3 meeting. Although approval occurs in June, spending does not occur until 2026. Councillors have until May 23 to propose motions for any amendments they wish to see.
