Council is back to Committee meetings this week, with a very full agenda and some big ticket items to be discussed.

Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing in the week ahead.

Meetings this week

• March 21 at 9:30am – Community Services Committee Meeting
• March 22 at 9:30am – Executive Committee Meeting
• March 23 at 9:30am – Transportation Committee Meeting
• March 24 at 9:30am – Executive Committee Meeting

You can always see the latest City Council meetings on ShareEdmonton.

Program & Service Review

Administration has come forward with a project plan for the program & service review that Council has requested. All City services will be reviewed a high-level and some will be identified for a deeper analysis to determine if the service could be reduced or stopped, provided differently or enhanced, or if new services are recommended. The City anticipates evaluating “approximately 30 programs and 200 services, which could be compared with services in other jurisdictions” using the Municipal Reference Model. The evaluation will focus on relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency:

• “Relevance is why we are doing things.”
• “Effectiveness is doing the right things.”
• “Efficiency is doing things well.”

The review will start this year and will take until December 2018 to complete. Costs associated with the work in 2016 are expected to be $600,000 which “will be funded from existing resources leveraging currently planned service reviews.” The City is proposing three pilots in 2016 to “test the approach and identify improvements in the project methodology.” Additional costs for 2017 and 2018 will be determined after the pilot reviews are complete.

Urban Growth Areas: Integrated Infrastructure Management Planning

Edmonton’s three Urban Growth Areas are Decoteau, Horse Hill, and Riverview. When considering a build-out over a 30-40 year time frame starting this year, the highlight is that the three areas “are anticipated to require approximately $1.4 billion in capital investment by the City.” On top of that, “a developer infrastructure investment of approximately $3.8 billion” is required. But we know that new neighbourhoods do not pay for themselves. “The projected cumulative shortfall over the 50 year analysis period for the build-out of the Urban Growth Areas is anticipated to be in the order of $1.4 billion.”

There’s a lot of detail in the report and a good discussion about the balance of residential and non-residential land in Edmonton. We have about three times more residential land than non-residential land, but non-residential taxes are 2.5 to 3 times more than residential, so they each contribute about 50%. Here are some other highlights:

• “For the City as a whole to maintain the current ratio, there needs to be approximately $5 billion of non-residential assessment for every $20 billion in residential assessment growth.”
• “It should be noted that the trend in Edmonton over the last few years has been an increasing burden shifting towards the residential tax payer as the residential class takes on a greater proportion of the total assessment base. The residential share of property taxes has increased from 48.7% in 2005 to 50.8% in 2015.”
• “Based on the analysis completed, in order to maintain 25% non-residential assessment ratio, the Urban Growth Areas would require an additional $8.3 billion in non-residential assessments throughout the City of Edmonton, over and above the commercial and business employment areas planned within the Urban Growth Areas.”
• “It is uncertain at this point whether this magnitude of non-residential assessments can be achieved within the City’s existing industrial areas and may be largely dependent on the timing and type of development to be constructed in the Edmonton Energy and Technology Park.”
• “Should this level of non-residential assessment not be achieved over the build-out of the Urban Growth Areas, the City may need to consider changing the current residential to non-residential tax split from an even split to a higher percentage from the residential area, which would increase residential contributions and better reflect the costs of the City’s current built-form.”

As a result of all of this, “the City will need to continue its efforts to promote greater density, more effective utilization of infrastructure, and grow the industrial and commercial sectors in order to balance the City’s overall assessment base.”

Administration is working on a Growth Modelling Framework that would proceed in four phases through 2019. While it may be a useful tool, that seems awfully late to be available considering development of all three areas is already well underway.

Valley Line LRT Updated Tax Levy Requirement

Apparently the winning bid from TransED Partners to build and operate the Valley Line LRT came in at $2.2 billion, about $500 million less than the City was expecting. As a result, the City is recommending the 0.8% tax levy scheduled to start this year should be dropped to 0.6%, which would translate to savings of $4.25 for the typical homeowner. Another option could be to grow the LRT reserve fund faster.

Instead of a rebate to homeowners, the Amalgamated Transit Union would prefer to see the money spent on transit. “It’s capital money that was intended to flow into transit,” ATU President Steve Bradshaw told Metro. “What we’re saying it was intended for transit and it should stay for transit.”

Traffic Shortcutting Pilot Project

Here’s the background on this one:

“In the fall of 2015, a Traffic Shortcutting Pilot Project was undertaken in the communities of Crestwood, Newton, Ottewell and Ormsby Place to develop a streamlined process to address localized shortcutting and speeding concerns. The traffic management measures of the pilot project included speed humps, speed tables (speed hump with a flat top), driver feedback signs, the review of traffic signal timings and the restriction of vehicle access (Ormsby Place only).”

About a third of respondents to a questionnaire felt the measures benefited their community, while a quarter felt the measures improved traffic safety. The report highlights a number of lessons learned, including:

• “Project Coordination: Projects should be coordinated with other capital projects to minimize construction costs and more efficiently engage the public.”
• “Community Awareness: Need to first build broad public involvement and engage communities before addressing traffic concerns.”
• “Roles and Responsibilities: Establish clear roles and responsibilities for Administration, public stakeholder groups, including decision-making at key points in the process.”
• “Process Flexibility: Every neighbourhood is unique, thus a flexible process can be tailored to the specific needs of a community.”
• “Project Timelines: The process needs to be responsive to community needs in a timely manner and adequate time must be allocated to properly engage the public and complete comprehensive before and after traffic studies.”

A separate report provides an update on the Community Traffic Management Plan pilot program in the Prince Charles and Pleasantview Communities. Activities are ongoing in Prince Charles, but the trial in Pleasantview was removed in February. The lessons learned through those two pilots were broadly similar to the others noted above.

“Since the mid-1990s, this is the fourth time Pleasantview has been through a Community Traffic Management Plan. This is the second time Prince Charles has been through a Community Traffic Management Plan since 2000.”

In 2003, Council adopted a set of guidelines for the community traffic management process that “established selection criteria to be used as a means of prioritizing communities for traffic management initiatives.” Only Pleasantview and Prince Charles have met the requirement to demonstrate sufficient community support since that time, but citizens in over 30 neighbourhoods have requested the initiation of a community traffic management plan. The City is now reviewing these guidelines. “Establishing criteria for community support and thresholds for traffic volumes, speeds, and shortcutting in an evidence-based approach, provides a means of addressing the growing city-wide demand for community traffic management initiatives in a more planned, efficient, consistent, and equitable manner.”

All of the lessons learned and other input will be considered in the development of a Policy on Traffic Shortcutting and a Community Traffic Management Policy, currently slated to be ready for Council’s review in June.

Telus Field

It looks like the uncertainty over the immediate future of Telus Field is coming to an end. The Edmonton Prospects Baseball Club has been selected as the preferred proponent to operate and maintain Telus Field and they’re looking to sign a four-year deal with the City to do just that. They would pay an annual license fee of $20,000 per year, in addition to operating and maintenance costs. The City would still be responsible for preventative maintenance, waterproofing, snow removal and parking lot maintenance, and utility costs related to the City’s office space in the building.

The City is still working on a longer-term vision for Telus Field as part of its plan for the River Crossing area, expected to be delivered in 2018. The River Crossing area encompasses land redevelopment in West Rossdale, repurposing of the Rossdale Generating Station, and other items. “This plan will take an integrated approach to advancing change in this unique and complex area,” the report states.

In addition to the agreement to operate Telus Field, the Prospects are requesting permission “to secure a new naming sponsor for the facility.” They need Council’s approval to start looking for a new sponsor, and even once they find a willing partner, the Naming Committee and Historical Board must be consulted and Council will have final approval. The Prospects need the sponsorship revenue to help support the operation of the ballpark.

Other interesting items

• It is recommended that Council approve a funding agreement with the Argyll Velodrome Association and the Society of the Edmonton Triathlon Academy for the Coronation Community Recreation Centre project. Council had previously approved $112.26 million for the project.
• A majority of partner facilities, festivals, and events would prefer the City is to mandate the establishment of designated smoking areas rather than mandate smoke-free events and facilities.
• The Dogs in Open Spaces Strategy “will enhance off-leash sites and provide safe and enjoyable experiences for park users.” A new report outlines recommendations made by the strategy and notes that Administration will now develop an implementation plan.
• The Naming Committee previously approved five neighbourhood names for the Riverview ASP but Stantec is appealing and has suggested the committee “neglected to consider the wishes of the majority landowners in these neighbourhoods.”
• A report on zoning options for high quality main streets identifies the following as qualifying main streets: Jasper Avenue, Whyte Avenue, 97 Street, 101 Street, 107 Avenue, 109 Street, 118 Avenue, 124 Street, Stony Plain Road.
• In an effort to better support residential infill, the City is recommending a new Community Standards Infill Compliance Coordinator, amendments to the Community Standards Bylaw 14600 to inroduce weekday construction restrictions, and amendments to the Traffic Bylaw 5590 to improve current development practices and address community concerns about infill construction.
• A progress report on joint efforts between the City of Edmonton and the City of St. Albert on the possibility of integrating transit systems considers five models and recommends returning in Q3 2016 with more detail.
• Edmonton currently classifies roadways as “local”, “collector”, and “arterial” and applies Complete Streets Guidelines on top of that. Administration has reviewed this classification scheme, and after comparing with other cities like Ottawa, Calgary, and Toronto, has recommended the status quo. It further noted “that roadway classification is neither used as a tool nor viewed as a solution to shortcutting and speeding issue.”
• Council is slated to receive a verbal status update on the Metro Line LRT on Wednesday, and will also receive a private contractual update.

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.

It looks like Council has a busy week ahead! They’ll be looking at Northlands and the question of what to do with Rexall Place, a topic that is sure to dominate the headlines early in the week. The other contentious issue on the agenda is the District Energy System for Blatchford. Council is also receiving a big financial update this week.

Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing in the week ahead.

Meetings this week

• March 14 at 1:30pm – City Council Public Hearing
• March 15 at 9:30am – City Council Meeting
• March 16 at 1:30pm – Special Community Services Committee Meeting

You can always see the latest City Council meetings on ShareEdmonton.

Northlands Vision 2020

The first item of business for Council is to discuss the Northlands Vision 2020 proposal. The plan has been called a fantasy, and it has been suggested that Northlands itself “has no particularly strong reason for carrying on.” But in the absence of an alternative vision for what to do with the site, there’s a real chance that Council will support the plan, at least tentatively. The City hasn’t brought any leadership to the table on this issue (only very minor adjustments have been made to the Coliseum Station ARP that was approved in 1983).

An economic impact assessment conducted by NICHOLS Applied Management suggested that Vision 2020 could result in an overall positive impact to the provincial GDP of between $680 million and just over $1 billion, with about a third of that directed within Edmonton.

Does turning Rexall Place into the Ice Coliseum, a facility with seven sheets of ice, at a cost of between $76 million and $94 million make sense? Is there actually a need for the proposed Urban Festival Site that would replace the racetrack? Should we really sink another $40 million into Hall D when Northlands already owes more than $40 million for the last Expo Centre expansion? These are some of the questions that Council will have to explore.

It seems unlikely that anything will happen unless Council agrees to forgive the debt on the Edmonton Expo Centre. And I don’t think Council is likely to do that without seeking some major governance change at Northlands. Could this be the opportunity to redraw the lines between Northlands and EEDC and come up with a more sensible deployment of limited resources?

Council will also be looking at the 2016 Northlands Capital Budget. Northlands is planning to spend $3.8 million this year on capital improvements, including $641,243 in the Edmonton Expo Centre, $880,121 on “technology and telephony”, and $815,358 on asphalt repair.

There is also Bylaw 17607 on the agenda, an amendment to the existing bylaw that allows for a ticket surcharge on all events held at Rexall Place. The new bylaw will be known as the Rexall Place Ticket Surcharge Bylaw, and is required to comply with the Master Agreement between the City and the Edmonton Arena Corporation. It will come into effect on July 1, 2016.

Capital Financial Update

There’s a lot of information available in this report and in the December 2015 Preliminary Year-End Financial Results. Here are some highlights:

• Including carry-forward from 2014, the total approved capital budget is $7.93 billion.
• The full year spend for 2015 was $1.03 billion or 16.7% against the 2015-2018 budgeted capital plan of $6.15 billion.
• There are 466 active profiles with planned expenditures in the 2015-2018 budget cycle, 341 of which are classified as single and 125 as composite in nature.
• There are 69 projects in the 2015 to 2018 Capital Budget cycle with costs greater than or equal to $20 million. They account for 89.1% ($7.07 billion) of the total approved budget.
• As of December 2015, 83 projects have been classified as green, 2 as yellow, and 12 have been flagged red.

Those 12 red projects are:

• Great Neighbourhoods Initiative
• Milner Library Renewal & Upgrades
• Northwest Police Campus
• The Quarters – Phase 1
• River Valley Alliance Connective Infrastructure
• Walterdale Bridge
• 102 Ave over Groat Road
• Metro Line LRT
• Westwood Transit Garage Replacement
• Mill Woods Double Barrel
• Anaerobic Digestion
• Parking Control Technology

There’s also some information on economic indicators:

• Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index was down on a year-to-year basis in the Edmonton region from 2.2% in 2014 to 1.2% in 2015.
• The Municipal Price Index is projected to average 0.4% for 2015 trending upward to 3% in 2019.
• The costs of delivering municipal services are expected to rise at a faster rate than that of the Consumer Price Index.
• Interest rates are expected to rise at the end of 2016.

Edmonton Arena District Update

The latest update on the downtown arena district says that “construction continues to progress on schedule and within the approved budget.” There’s a lot of different work already underway, and “fit-out and finishing” is about to begin. The first seat was installed this month and all seating is expected to be in place in May. That’s also when the scoreboard is set to arrive. The Alex Janvier public artwork in the Winter Garden will be installed in June. As previously discussed, the arena will be a LEED Silver building, the second in the NHL after Pittsburgh. “Through the end of December, 87.2 percent (5,288 tons) of waste has been diverted from the landfill.”

Transforming City, photo by Dave Sutherland

The update also includes a rough schedule for when the various buildings within Ice District will open:

• September 2016 – Casino
• September 2016 – Oilers Entertainment Group Offices
• November 2016 – Edmonton Office Tower
• Summer 2018 – JW Marriott Hotel
• Fall 2018 – Stantec Office Tower & Retail Podium
• Spring 2019 – Legends Residential Tower
• Summer 2019 – Stantec Residential Units

Through the end of February 2016, total project expenditures are about $441,500,000. The total project budget is $604,950,279.

District Energy Sharing System

A district energy system “centralizes the production of heating or cooling for a geographical area” and was one of the key features of the Blatchford development plan. Council had previously asked for “a comprehensive business case” for implementing the system, which is included in this report. The business case for the system recommends a low (ambient) temperature system operating as a public interest utility. Two scenarios have been modelled:

• Scenario A requires $20 million per year for the first ten years and represents the full build-out of the system using only renewable energy source for meeting both base and peak demand for thermal energy
• Scenario B requires $20 million per year for five years and represents the full build-out of the system using renewable energy sources to meet the base demand and transitional natural gas boilers and cooling towers to meet peaking thermal energy demand

Administration says Scenario B is “a pragmatic first step” toward achieving the carbon neutral, 100% renewable energy-based vision for Blatchford, but it “does not achieve the same level of greenhouse gas reductions” as the Scenario A would. In order to move forward, a revised project implementation schedule is required and means that construction may be delayed until 2017. The source of funding has not yet been identified.

The next steps are for Administration to look at options for funding the project, engage in further discussions with EPCOR, and to review the financials and project implementation schedule.

Other interesting items

• The Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor roster has been updated as a result of the Ward 12 by-election. Councillor Banga will serve as Deputy Mayor from September 16 to the Organizational Meeting in October, and as Acting Mayor from August 16 to September 15.
• Transportation Committee has recommended that Council approve funding for the Heritage Valley Park and Ride and adopt a revised Park and Ride strategy.
• The committee has also recommended that by September 2016, some free Park and Ride stalls be converted to paid stalls, that the price to park in reserved stalls be increased, and that time limits be implemented for unreserved stalls.
• Bylaw 17571 is ready for first reading and will authorize the City to widen Whitemud Drive from 40 Street to 17 Street at a cost of $14,648,000.
• Bylaw 17575 would lower the special tax rate for Alley Lighting by nearly 4%, from $1.02 per assessable metre in 2015 to $0.98 per assessable metre in 2016. This is because LED lights use less energy and require less maintenance.

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.

Monday is Election Day in the Ward 12 By-Election, so I’m sure Council will be paying attention like the rest of us to see who their new colleague is. I understand that the Elections Office expects the results to be posted in a large batch, hopefully by 8:30pm, so it shouldn’t take long to find who wins. The Swearing-In Ceremony for the new Councillor will take place on Friday afternoon.

Photo by City of Edmonton

But enough about the election for now, there’s work to be done. As I wrote about back in January, a reorganization of the City Administration is slated to take effect on March 1. Mayor Iveson wrote about the reorg yesterday, and highlighted that Council will be changing its committee structure to match:

“On the City Council side of the table, we’ve also begun the process to change Council’s committee structure to support more coherent decision making and build clear lines of accountability into the departments. The new Urban Planning Committee should mean a better alignment of the City’s planning functions; City operations now report to the Citizen Services committee; and all infrastructure work will now report to the Executive Committee.”

Those changes have not yet taken effect but will soon.

Here’s my look at what Council will be discussing in the week ahead.

Meetings this week

• February 22 at 9:30am – Community Services Committee Meeting
• February 23 at 9:30am – Executive Committee Meeting
• February 23 at 10:30am – LRT Governance Board Meeting
• February 24 at 9:30am – Transportation Committee Meeting
• February 26 at 9:30am – Utility Committee Meeting

You can always see the latest City Council meetings on ShareEdmonton.

MacEwan West Operating Models: Governance & Tenancy

Although Council approved the purchase of the MacEwan University West Campus back in November 2012 for $36 million, the transfer of the facility isn’t expected to take place until the fall of 2017 (just $5 million has been deposited thus far). To prepare, the City has established a Community Stakeholder Committee as well as a cross-departmental Internal Committee. The proposed vision for MacEwan West is “an Intercultural, Interagency Community Hub for arts, recreation, wellness and learning.”

Photo courtesy of MacEwan University

The building was constructed in 1981 and contains 257,000 square feet of space, about half of which is considered available for programming (the rest is common areas, mechanical, etc). Over 80 groups initially expressed interest in being tenants or offering programs at MacEwan West. In addition to their input, research on governance, operating, and tenancy models has been completed. Three different models have been identified:

1. Mixed Used Model – accommodates the greatest number of tenants/stakeholders with an anchor tenant occupying 30% of the space
2. Hybrid Model – anchor tenant would occupy 50% of the space
3. Predmoninate Single Use Model – anchor tenant would occupy over 70% of the space

Under the first two models, the City would be responsible for ongoing maintenance and renewal costs, estimated at $1.6 million annually. Under the third model, the City would consider selling the facility to the large tenant, but would “would retain the parkade for future LRT development.”

The next steps are to establish a Tenant Selection Committee, finalize a tenant selection process and criteria, report back to Council in Q4 with a “recommended tenancy structure, governance model and operating model,” and complete the MacEwan West Business Plan and budget by early 2017.

Corner Store Pilot Program Update

Back in March 2014, Council approved the Corner Store Pilot Program to “stimulate local small business growth, enhance access to local amenities and contribute to community building.” The pilot began with three sites in Ritchie, Elmwood, and Newton and has been successful enough that the City will be expanding it to five additional sites later this year. More than 100 business owners and residents in Ritche were surveyed about the pilot and they expressed strong support:

• 88 percent of business owners feel the Corner Store program is important to their business and are confident the program will positively impact their commercial centre
• 86 percent of community members feel the program is important to their community
• 77 percent of community members are confident that the program will positively impact their commercial centre

The new sites “will be chosen based on the program criteria and possible alignment with the Neighbourhood Renewal program.” A total of $1.25 million has already been budgeted for “public realm enhancements” for the new sites, so no new funds are required to expand the program.

Measures of Social Return on Investment and Other Community Well-being Indicators

Last year, Council asked for an update on how Edmonton and Calgary measure social return on investment and other community well-being indicators. Both cities are working together to share information, tools, and techniques in this area. “The most common area that captures well-being indicators in both the City of Edmonton and the City of Calgary is through Family and Community Support Services (FCSS).” Edmonton and Calgary (and other municipalities) are mandated to report on outcomes for FCSS funded programs.

The overarching goal of the FCSS Outcomes Model is to enhance “the social well-being of individuals, families, and community through prevention.” In Edmonton and Calgary, three dimensions are evaluated: economic well-being, social well-being, and physical well-being:

Calgary has gone further and has experimented with Social Return on Investment, “an innovative, principles-based methodology and increasingly sought-out approach that assigns a financial value to a social impact that would otherwise be overlooked or misunderstood.” After pilot projects in 2008-2009, Calgary decided to offer grants to agencies that wish to complete a Social Return on Investment evaluation.

Edmonton currently has two Social Return on Investment evaluations underway, one on the “Net Analytics Pilot” and one on “The Youth Transit Access Project”. Both are expected to go to Council in the next month or so.

LRT History and Principles

How are we going to build the next phases of the LRT network? That’s one of the key questions that Council is going to have to address this year, starting with Wednesday’s discussion. “Council has laid the foundation for the next phases of LRT expansion with a principle-based plan,” the report says, highlighting The Way We Move, the Valley Line planning process, and the LRT Network Plan.

“Globally competitive cities recognize the importance of an integrated transportation system that gives people choices of where to live and how to move around the city. LRT is an investment in Edmonton’s future, a critical asset for a modern city with a transportation system and land-use choices that meet the needs of a diverse, dynamic and growing population. LRT is one of the most efficient modes of transportation: a single light rail track can carry up to 20,000 people per hour compared to a freeway capacity of 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane. As demonstrated by cities around the world, modern LRT can help shape cities, communities and neighbourhoods, with LRT often becoming the focal point for new mixed-use development.”

Funding for the southeast leg of the Valley Line LRT has been approved and construction is slated to take place through 2020. But what about the other legs? Based on direction from Council a year ago, Administration has initiated the LRT Prioritization Study to “provide a recommendation for construction staging of the remaining unfunded portions of the LRT network.” One of the first deliverables from that is the LRT Prioritization Evaluation Critera. Will Council be able to agree on an order that makes sense for Edmonton, or will Councillors push their own areas of the city above all?

The report goes on to note that “the cornerstone of the plan is Urban Style LRT” which encourages transit-oriented development, reduces construction costs, and “strengthens the City’s integrated transportation network.” While this report only deals with the prioritization of LRT, it should be noted that other complementary work is already underway, such as the development of a new Transit Strategy.

Active Transportation Council Initiative

City Council already has an expansive list of 24 initiatives but it has decided to add another one. The new Active Transportation initiative is slated to proceed through the end of the current Council term and hopes to achieve “heightened awareness of the Active Transportation options available to Edmonton’s citizens and the benefits of active, healthy living, recreation, and sustainable communities” and “education for users of Edmonton’s transportation systems about their rights and responsibilities, including drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians”, among other things. Currently the initiative lacks both a budget and Councillor sponsors.

Other interesting items

• The list of CIOG Award Recommendations is now available and totals $3,546,490 that will be provided to 225 non-profit organizations.
• An update on the Urban Beekeeping Program says that 31 beekeeping sites have been approved and licensed and that no complaints have been received about those sites.
• Deloitte was contracted in October 2014 to conduct a review of the City’s programs and services for developing or redeveloping community league facilities. They made a number of recommendations that the City is now proposing to action including a draft Tripartite License Amending Agreement “that would reduce the risk to the City and community leagues, as well as support the future sustainability of community league facilities.”
• One report looks at the impacts of the Provincial Budget on community organizations and says that “although the Province increased funding to the Family and Community Support Services in 2016, the City continues to advocate for further funding increases for 2017-2018.” The report also highlights that “increasing unemployment throughout Alberta is resulting in an increased need for social services, especially in larger urban centres such as Edmonton.”
• Thus far the Edmonton Public Library has raised $3.7 million for the Milner Library Renewal project. They need to raise a total of $10 million by 2020 to support the revitalization of the downtown branch, which the City is contributing $52.5 million toward. You can learn more about the plans for the library in the Make it Possible! document.
• An update on efforts to protect and preserve the McDougall United Church says that urgent repairs using provincial funding are underway and that “a bylaw to designate the McDougall United Church as a Municipal Historic Resource is expected to be brought to City Council for consideration on March 1, 2016.” The total cost of restoration and rehabilitation could be up to $16 million “in the immediate to short term.”
• Council is being asked to approve an Environmental Impact Assessment and Site Location Study to advance the River Valley Mechanized Access project, commonly known as the funicular. An open house and online survey held last year found that “approximately two thirds of the respondents were supportive of the project.” Council has already approved $34.4 million for the project.
• Proposed amendments to the zoning bylaw would reduce the minimum parking requirements and otherwise increase the flexibility of passenger pick-up/drop-off spaces to facilitate the expansion of child care services.
• The LRT Governance Board’s fourth semi-annual report is now available and covers the period from July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, during which the board convened five times.
• A detailed report on the Mill Woods Double Barrel Replacement/SESS SA1B project is on the Utility Committee’s agenda. The project is “one of the largest and complex capital drainage projects undertake by the City of Edmonton in over 35 years.” The City has run into challenges though, and the original $56.9 million budget has grown to $91 million. In order to complete the project by August 2017, Admin is recommending another budget adjustment, which would bring the total to $96.5 million. One of the lessons learned here is the same as what came out of the Metro Line debacle: “Regular communication to Council and citizens on the status of the project and more frequent updates when experiencing issues.”
• Council is being asked to support appointing a City representative to the board of the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance. “The City has provided grant funding to the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance in the amount of 25 cents per capita.”

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.