Airdrie City council revisited aeration and hydraulic issues occurring at the Sagewood stormwater pond during the Nov. 18 meeting of council.
While no changes will be made to operations immediately, council has committed to a future analysis of all stormwater ponds in the city, as well as opening the dialogue with Hopewell Developments, the developer that headed up construction in the Sagewood neighbourhood.
Residents in Sagewood complained the pond had deteriorated in quality and lost its aesthetic value during a neighbourhood meeting in June.
Airdrieís Director of Community Infrastructure Lorne Stevens spoke to council on Nov. 18, addressing the issues and laying out potential solutions.
ìThe function of storm ponds is to prevent flooding and reduce sediment,î said Stevens.
ìFrom a functional standpoint, the Sagewood pond has been doing what itís supposed to.î
Stevens mentioned that a balance must be found between functionality and amenity value; residents whose homes back on to a water feature pay around $105 a year more in taxes than similar homes not on water features.
One solution, as outlined by Stevens, was to reconstruct the pedestrian bridge on Sagewood Drive, a project that would cost upwards of $390,000.
Council voted to not go forward with that idea, but instead opted to continue with projects already in the proposed 2014 budget which include; $20,000 for tree planting, $5,000 for path maintenance and $5,000 to use living microorganisms (LMOs) to keep the water sanitary.
The manicured areas around the pond were given a ìBî grade by the city and 99 per cent of the paths were graded to be in excellent condition according to Stevensí report.
Alderman Allan Hunter, who is a Sagewood resident, raised the point that council and City staff should speak with Hopewell Development to see if they will provide funding for improvements.
ìThis sends a message to developers that even after they leave, theyíre still going to be held accountable,î said Hunter.
Chinook Winds Firehall
Aldermen voted unanimously in favour of loaning $50,000 to Alberta Health Services (AHS) to renovate the Chinook Winds Firehall to accommodate an interim Emergency Medical Services (EMS) station.
The money will come out of the 2013 reserves and will be paid back to the City by AHS through lease payments.
ìWe approved this so that these renovations can begin immediately and they (AHS) can transition into there as soon as possible,î said Mayor Peter Brown.
Renovations required at the hall include an exhaust extraction system in the vehicle bay and a drop-down power supply for ambulances. The building was built to house ambulances and can hold two of the three ambulances in the city at a time.
The building also features an area for EMS workers to sleep and work. It is not a full-service EMS station, anyone who requires treatment will be transported to hospital; the buildingís main purpose will be to house and dispatch ambulances.
Theatre to serve alcohol
Council unanimously endorsed the provision of an Alcohol Management Policy at Bert Church Theatre.
The theatre will acquire a Class B liquor license for the remainder of the 2013/2014 season on a pilot basis.
A Class B license applies to only the theatre and is available to those who have paid entrance fees or purchased a ticket to an event.
As Bert Church Theatre is attached to a high school, the Class B license is a necessity so that liquor is only sold during theatre hours to ticket holders, according to Bert Church organizers.
The facility will be a pour service only and will not serve cans or bottles. The City will conduct a review of the pilot at the conclusion of the 2013/2014 theatre season in April.
Building inspection fees
A bylaw to amend building inspection permit fees was given first reading on Nov. 18 and will be forwarded to the Finance Advisory Committee as part of 2014 budget deliberations.
The bylaw proposes an increase of $0.50 per $1,000 of construction value from $8 to $8.50 on commercial, industrial, institutional and multifamily dwellings.
New single, detached, semi-detached and townhouse dwellings are proposed to have a 12 per cent increase. The building permit fee for a 2,000-square-foot house is currently $1,150 and with the 12 per cent increase would jump to $1,288.
First reading is a formality in order to allow the bylaw to be forwarded to the Finance Advisory Committee, according to Brown.
ìWe want to be transparent with this and that number could still go up or down, depending on what the Finance Advisory Committee comes up with,î said Brown. ìIím supportive of this because it is only a small increase; the people most affected by this is the building community.î
The bylaw also includes an amendment that would change the fees on basement developments from a scale of flat fees ($80 for zero to 500 square feet, $130 for 501 to 1,200 square feet and $180 for 1,201 or more square feet) to $0.20 per square foot with a minimum fee of $100.
Hunter spoke in opposition of the proposed increase for basement development.
ìI donít want people to be getting hit twice on this,î said Hunter. ìYou pay once to develop your basement, and then your assessment value goes up so youíre paying again.î
Aldermen Candice Kolson, Fred Burley, Kelly Hegg, Ron Chapman, and Brown voted in favour, Hunter voted in opposition. Alderman Darrell Belyk was absent from the meeting.
Construction projects
Airdrie Director of Corporate Properties Chris Reason provided council with an update on major construction projects on Nov. 18, including Genesis Place phase three coming in $300,000 under budget.
The project that was slated at $20.18 million came in at a final cost of around $19.8 million, according to Reason.
ìWe were able to come in under budget by sticking closely to the project and making sure that we scrutinized every step of the way,î he said.
However, Reason said there will be a delay in construction at the East Lake Athletics Park where the 2014 Alberta Summer Games will be held.
Grounds work was pushed back due to heavy rain during the summer, but Reason is confident the project will be completed in time for the Games.
ìIt will be ready for practice runs by June and Iím confident that weíll be up and running when the Alberta Games come here in July,î said Reason.
Construction at the new Public Works building at 23 East Lake Hill is running according to schedule and is projected to come in on budget at $3.7 million.
Bert Church Theatre renovation will celebrate its unveiling on Nov. 28 and construction crews are making fixes to minor deficiencies says Reason, including replacing four concrete slabs inside of the building.
ìThe cost to replace these slabs will be no expense to the city,î said Reason. ìThe contractor will be absorbing the costs.î
The unveiling ceremony will take place at the theatre on Nov. 28 at 6 p.m.
