Jason Stockfish | [email protected]
The speed limit will drop from 50 km/h to 30 km/h throughout town after council gave third and final reading to the traffic safety bylaw during its May 3 meeting.
With the passing of the bylaw, all roads in town, with the exception of the north and south entrances on Connaught Drive, will be reduced to 30km/h once the new speed limit signs are erected.
In a previous report, administration stated that reducing speeds from 50 km/h to 30 km/h would help improve pedestrian safety and the visitor experience in Jasper.
Coun. Helen Kelleher-Empey was the only member of council opposed.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that Connaught should be totally 30 km/h,鈥� Kelleher-Empey said.
鈥淚 have no problem with all the residential areas being 30 km/h. I have no problem with the downtown core being 30 km/h. I do have a problem dropping Connaught to 30 km/h year-round.鈥�
She explained that Connaught should revert back to 50 km/h late at night and in the early morning when few vehicles are on the road and in the off-season when traffic volume is significantly reduced.
Kelleher-Empey added that her concern for the reduced speed limit also relates to ambulances and fire trucks having to travel too slowly when responding to emergencies, especially when they are blocked by a train and forced to reroute.
The bylaw also sets the fine for parking in a paid parking stall without a permit at $65.
Sidewalk seating
Council鈥檚 agenda had the Commercial Use of Public Space Bylaw, which relates to sidewalk seating, set to pass first and second reading at the May 3 meeting.
However, council was worried the bylaw as written was not accounting for businesses that do not require seating on the sidewalk but would benefit from the use of the parking lane, such as motorcycle tours and other businesses that may wish to utilize public space for commercial use.
As such, council directed administration to amend the document to add the use of parking lane permit application fees and remove references to sidewalk seating in 2022 and 2023.
The motion passed first reading unopposed and an amended version of the bylaw will be up for second and third readings at the May 17 council meeting.
Activity Centre renovations
Following last week鈥檚 committee of the whole meeting where renovations to the Activity Centre were discussed, council followed administration鈥檚 recommendation and voted to approve all of the 鈥渞equired scope items鈥� as well as those in the 鈥渃ouncil requested scope.鈥�
Those in the required scope pertain mostly to life safety, building code, accessibility improvements and maintenance to the facility.
Some of these required items include installing an elevator to make all floors of the Activity Centre accessible for users, the upgrading of major electrical infrastructure, ventilation and CO2 sensors and the replacement of corroded pipes.
The council requested scope items that were approved are three-fold.
One item relates to the expansion of the arena鈥檚 footprint to the west and south to create new space for five full-sized dressing rooms, an expansion of the Zamboni room and a new hallway connecting the new dressing rooms with the existing four on the south side of the arena.
Another requested renovation approved by council will see the sauna in the basement of the Activity Centre converted into an additional washroom.
The third requested renovation approved at the May 3 meeting is the complete renovation of all existing change rooms in the Aquatic Centre.
The total cost of the required and council requested renovations is approximately $14 million.
A little over $10 million of that is considered required and already has been accounted for in budgets through to 2023.
The required work is being funded mostly by grant money with taxpayer dollars picking up the difference.
The approved council requested items are estimated to cost $3,831,491 and administration has suggested that funding would come from a combination of Federal Gas Tax/Canada Building Fund, Municipal Sustainability Initiative Capital Funding and debt.
CAO Bill Given explained that with the passing of the motion to approve the Activity Centre renovations, a revised plan from GEC Architecture, the prime consultant for the project, will now be forthcoming.
