Scooter, wheelchair and pedestrian travel near the new seniors' facility will be less impeded next year with planned upgrades to the Town of Sundre's adjacent greenspace.
Council has approved administration's request to spend up to $220,000 upgrading the drainage, landscaping and gravel pathway on a strip of municipal reserve land along the northern boundary of the seniors' facility that leads to the downtown.
The money comes from the sale of the land to Mountain View Seniors' Housing (MVSH) for the new facility.
Increased use of the land for travel by seniors has led to increased complaints about its condition and brought the issue to a head, said Angie Lucas, the town's interim CAO and manager of planning and development.
Not upgrading the municipal reserve land “was an oversight” when the MVSH facility was under development, she added.
“One thing I know planning was not aware of was the Mountain View Seniors' Housing development was actually going to put in a heated garage which would have scooters in that garage – 114 power points – so that's a game changer. That's an absolute game changer for this area,” Lucas told council during a meeting last Monday.
Residents in the adjacent Brookside residential subdivision to the north of the municipal reserve have long complained about the condition of the strip of land abutting their homes.
The Brookside development and the municipal reserve land were developed at the same time at the same grade before the Town of Sundre had even considered selling land in the area to MVSH, said Lucas.
The reserve land was roughly grassed and treed and a gravel pathway put in which runs the length of the reserve land.
“The landscaping is now in very poor condition and is causing much concern to the adjacent residents in the subdivision who were promised a landscaped area of high quality when they purchased their homes,” Lucas said in her report to council.
Then, when the seniors' facility site was being developed, she said the land was raised higher than the adjacent municipal reserve and residential subdivision and has since caused drainage issues on the pathway.
“Now the existing pathway...is not safe, is not adequate. It doesn't matter what season. It's worse in winter but in summer months the scooters can't get along there safely, there's a tipping issue,” she told council.
Coun. Chris Vardas said when council decided the seniors' facility could go there, they knew the trail would have to be fixed up.
“At the end of the day these trails are going to be commuting a bunch of seniors from their homes to get groceries or coffee or whatever …so I think one way or another we're going to have to spend it,” said Vardas.
Administration has obtained a topographical survey and a quote to determine the full cost to restore and rebuild the area. L.A. West has quoted the town $15,000 to $18,000 to create landscape plans, drawings and construction management of the project.
The company would also review the tender bids and assist in the award of the construction contract in addition to overseeing construction management of the project. The quote is based on a percentage fee based on their estimate of the total construction value of $200,000.
There is approximately $260,000 in a fund remaining from the sale of municipal land to MVSH where the funds for the upgrades will come from.
Lucas further suggested that any additional funds in the MVSH fund could be used in the future to provide further pathways, trails and linkages for both pedestrian and scooter users to access a variety of areas within the town.
Council did not further discuss the suggestion.
"At the end of the day these trails are going to be commuting a bunch of seniors from their homes to get groceries or coffee or whatever ...so I think one way or another we're going to have to spend it."Coun. Chris Vardas
