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The City of Airdrie parks department installed 5,000, 20-pound bags filled with aquatic plant seed and organic material along the east and southeast shoreline of East Lake in just over two hours, July 10. The bags, filled with deep-rooting grass seed, will help with bank stabilization. Parks staff lowered the lake's water level and will be watering the bags during the growing season to keep them moist. The lake will be returned to its normal water level once the grass reaches a certain height.

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Airdrie summer construction projects underway

This summer and fall, City of Airdrie staff will be undertaking a number of construction projects around Airdrie.

The projects, being done to support the City’s growth and maintain infrastructure, will cost more than $21 million. The money will come out of Airdrie’s capital budget.

“We are doing each project for a different reason,” said Bob Neale, the City’s team leader of engineering services. “The (projects) are needed for growth and to maintain our road network as well.”

Neale urges residents to be patient in construction zones.

“Obey all traffic signs and remember that one of the guys working on the projects may be your neighbour,” he said.

Work will begin this month on a 600-millimetre water line between Calgary and Airdrie to supplement the 900-millimetre pipe currently in use. The $12-million project, which has been in the works since 2007, is scheduled to wrap up by the end of the year.

According to Neale, the project is one of the City’s top priorities and will provide an adequate supply of water for a population of up to 70,000.

“(Getting permission) was very complex because we had three jurisdictions to work through, and negotiating the line assignment… was a process that took many months to go through,” said Neale. “Currently, we are relying on the 900-millimetre pipeline for our water supply, if that ever went down, we have a very short period of time to fix it. (The line) is our priority and council fully supports the new water line.”

In addition to the $7-million 24th Street upgrade, which was announced earlier this summer, road construction includes rebuilding and paving of Range Road 292 from Yankee Valley Boulevard south for one mile. The upgrade, which will cost about $800,000, will be constructed in conjunction with Rocky View County and is scheduled to start in late July or early August.

The final phase of construction is also underway on Eighth Street from Bayside Drive to Railway Avenue. Beginning in early July, sections of Eighth Street will be closed for paving, streetlight installation and landscaping. The project will cost about $950,000.

Beginning this month, about 200 metres of East Lake Road will be replaced at a cost of about $240,000. The road will remain open, with signage and barricades being installed to maintain traffic flow. Parking is not permitted within the work zone.

The remaining 200 metres of East Lake Road, from East Lake Boulevard to East Lake Circle, will be replaced next year, subject to 2013 budget approval.

Three crosswalks and a new section of path will be built along Eighth Street between the Williamstown and Silvercreek subdivisions connecting the east and west sides of Airdrie. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin this month and be completed by the end of August. The project includes pedestrian crossing signs and streetlights on temporary poles and is expected to cost about $150,000.

City staff is pruning trees and shrubs in Jensen Park and will remove the old splash park and prepare the area for the planned redevelopment of the historical area.

With the spray park recently completed at Chinook Winds Regional Park, workers will focus their attention on a planned toboggan hill in the park. Trucks will periodically be dumping loads of fill, taken from other projects, to create the hill.

In addition, fencing and garbage cans will be installed at three new dog parks around the city, located at East Lake Avenue and East Lake Line, King’s Heights near Sharp Hill Way SE and at the Festival of Lights parking lot in Nose Creek Park.

Over the next two weeks, City crews will be dropping the water level of East Lake and installing 5,000 bags of seed mixed with organic matter around its perimeter. Water will then be returned to cover the bags in an effort to establish aquatic plant life.

For more information, contact the City of Airdrie at 403-948-8800.