Below is an overview of Council discussions and decisions from the Regular Council meeting on January 13, 2025:
Infrastructure Quarterly Report Summary 2024 Q4
Water and Wastewater Management:
Q4 data shows significant decrease in both water loss and sanitary inflow and infiltration (I&I). Efforts continue through winter with three outstanding water leaks to be actioned.
Sanitary System Improvements:
66 meters of wastewater main replaced.
2.8 km of sanitary main relined.
Water System Updates:
640 water meter replacements, focusing on leak-prone areas with older infrastructure (15+ years).
Pumphouse meter replacements are scheduled for early 2025.
Large-scale meter replacement planned for 2025.
Major Infrastructure Projects:
MIP Capital Project: Work on 52nd Street is complete.
Highway Intersection Improvement: Alberta Transportation approved upgrades at Highway 27 & 70th Avenue.
Land Use Bylaw (LUB) & Municipal Development Plan (MDP): Updates are underway and will continue throughout 2025.
Development and Housing:
Improved Efficiency: Development permit processing times improved by 50%, now averaging 11.5 days (standard permits) and 22.8 days (council-approved permits).
Increased Activity:
Approved permits rose from 136 to 173, with a $30M increase in value.
Housing starts increased from 29 in 2023 to 130 in 2024, with total value rising from $17M to $31M.
Positive Trend: The increase in housing starts signals future availability to meet community demand although there is a lag time between builds and availability.
Roadway Conditions:
The Pavement Assessment Report highlights that the overall road network condition is fair.
28.3% of the network requires repairs and maintenance, exceeding the recommended backlog range of 10%-25%.
To address this, the report recommends a 10-year repair and maintenance program with a $17M budget to improve overall condition and reduce the backlog to 0% by 2034.
Council Action: Infrastructure Services’ Q4 report was received as presented.
Council Sponsorship Requests
Olds & District Kiwanis Music Festival Society
Support for the Arts: Council approved $1,200 to support the Grand Concert. The event will take place on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at the TransCanada Theatre in the Fine Arts and Multimedia Centre.
Regional Bonspiel: Rotary Club of Olds
Boosting Tourism: Council moved to provide $1,500 to The Rotary Club of Olds to support its Regional Bonspiel to be held in Olds in 2025 based on its projected economic and community impact.
These highlights touch briefly upon the key information presented and decisions made at the meeting.
The next regular Council meeting is scheduled for January 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM.