The expensive Northlands Drive project received full support from Red Deer city council on Tuesday, even though the province “left us at the altar” more than once on it, said one councillor.
Coun. Ken Johnston was referring to provincial grants for the project, which were seemingly made available, then abruptly pulled, leaving the city to shoulder most of the project’s costs.
Johnston initially questioned the urgency of the highway connector project, considering the city’s growth has slowed from when it was first proposed. But he was told the city’s population would hit the optimum 115,000 people by 2028, when the project will tentatively be completed.
Mayor Tara Veer and several councillors stated the importance of Red Deer being proactive in planning for growth, so that it isn’t shut out from potential developments, as happened in the early 2000s, when the city fell short of serviced industrial land and had to turn developers — and tax dollars —away.
So far, the city has invested $115 million in building a road that would connect the Highway 11A area to south Red Deer via a connector road and future bridge over the Red Deer River.
In the 2019 capital budget, nearly $2 million more will be needed to design an overpass over CP Rail lands near Highway 11A, between Taylor Drive and Gaetz Avenue. As well, $4.4 million is needed to construct the project in 2020 and $6.5 million in 2021.
Some of this money could conceivably be transferred to an aquatic centre project, which could otherwise be delayed by four years. But Veer stressed the importance of judging each project on its own merit.
And she said there is much merit in proceeding with the Northlands connector road, which would allow the city to grow to the north, balancing out southern growth and providing more equity to residents living north of the river.
The rest of council agreed the city needed to plow ahead with the connector road, regardless of whether provincial funding is available, because it is important to the city’s future. Councillors were told administration will keep seeking grants from both levels of government.
Coun. Dianne Wyntjes said a city resident told her that too much money is being spent on local roads, even though many people have nowhere to go, since there are no amenities, such as a 50-metre pool.
She admitted this gave her pause. But Wyntjes summarized the sentiment of the rest of council when she said the city has to stay true to its vision to grow northward. “We‘ll have to be creative” and find other funds for the pool, she added.