DIDSBURY - Town council has approved additional funding for the 23rd Street and Highway 582 enhanced intersection project.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting, held in person and on YouTube.
The intersection project is being co-funded by the town and the province under an 50-50 agreement with Alberta Transportation totalling $1.5 million.
The project was earlier approved by council as an amendment to the 2022 capital project.
Administration sought council consideration for an expanded scope of work to “improve the safety, improve the user experience and improve the longevity of this segment of our roadway,” chief administrative officer (CAO) Ethan Gorner said in a briefing note to council.
“The proposed enhancement would construct an additional 1.0 metre wide shoulder of each side, install paint lines to improve safety and would see the mill and overlay of the asphalt for the entire width of 23rd Street. This will create a new, uniform asphalt surface,” he said.
“The proposed enhancement project boundary would be north, from the current intersection improvements to the southside of the CPR spur line. The proposed enhancement would significantly improve everyone’s experience into the Shantz development.”
Council carried a motion amending the capital budget to increase the project contribution by $111,000 for a total of $1.61 million.
Overlay road project expanded to include 19th Avenue
In other news from the recent council meeting, the 20th Street overlay road project has been expanded to include 19 Avenue, said CAO Gorner.
In his monthly report to council, Gorner outlined recent activities in town, including engineering and infrastructure projects, as well as recent permit numbers.
“The enhanced scope of work for the 20th Street mill and overlay project has grown to include 19th Avenue,” he said. “The work is planned to go from 20th Street to 21st Street. The enhancement was selected and built on the information gathered for the grant application to rejuvenate 19th Avenue.
“The inclusion of 19th Avenue in the project will bring a much needed restoration to the asphalt. The new asphalt surface will be friendly to bikes and greatly improve accessibility for our residents and visitors.”
As part of his report, Gorner also presented the 2023 quarterly planning and development report.
Two permits were issued in the quarter for principal dwelling units with construction value of $680,000, compared with $390,000 in the first quarter.
Fifteen permits were issued for garages, sheds, decks, additions, demolitions, secondary suites and discretionary uses, with construction values of $350,000.
Eight permits were issued for garages and sheds, two for additions, four for deck, one for demolitions, and two for secondary suites.
Deputy mayor Curt Engel said it is encouraging to see homeowners applying for secondary suite permits.
Regarding commercial retail units, one permit was issued in the quarter with total construction value of $730,000, compared with $700,000 in the first quarter.
He also presented the second quarter economic development report, which was prepared by economic development officer and strategic operations coordinator Alexandra Ross.
Regarding business retention, the report states: “The biggest challenge for business remains lack of workforce. Ongoing conversation with province to be added as a community for the renewable stream program - application in process. Exploring various avenues (and) continue conversations and working with businesses that came forward to find solutions and a path forward.”
Other highlights in the report included total business licence revenue as of July 5 was $38,151, compared with $35,245 during the same period in 2022.
Project action items and other notable activities in the quarter included conversations with developers about housing needs, options and concepts, meeting with commercial realtors about commercial properties for sale or lease and collaboration on potential development of inventory list is scheduled for this summer.
Council accepted the CAO report as information, with all council members attending the recent council meeting.
