College Park

In brief, here are four items of public interest that were discussed during the October 2019 City Council meeting. I was proud to Chair this meeting of City Council as the Deputy Mayor.

• Reseller Rate for Regional Customers of Saskatoon Water
• Saskatoon Freeway Project Update – October 2019
• Approaches for Addressing Existing and Emerging Protocol Issues
• Municipal Wards Commission - Establishment of Municipal Ward Boundaries

Ward 8 residents, please note that the new municipal ward boundaries (starting November 9, 2020) have been established. The changes specific to Ward 8 have Brevoort Park moving to Ward 6, and Wildwood coming from Ward 9 to Ward 8. As such, the Ward 8 neighbourhoods for the 2020 municipal and school boards' election include: Briarwood, Brighton (Holmwood Sector), College Park, East College Park, Greystone Heights, Hillcrest Management Area and Wildwood.

The Saskatoon Municipal Wards Commission is seeking insight and information from citizens of Saskatoon as the Commission looks to establish new ward boundaries for the municipal/school boards' elections in fall 2020 because of population growth and shifts since the 2016 election.

The City of Saskatoon is divided into ten wards.  The Cities Act stipulates that each ward must contain approximately the same population, with ward populations varying by no more than 10% from the average ward population (the City's total population divided by the ten wards).

Currently, the populations of Ward 7 and Ward 10 exceed the 10% variance while the populations of Ward 5 and Ward 8 fall below the threshold.  Accordingly, the Municipal Wards Commission will establish new ward boundaries to be in effect for the city's municipal election and school boards' elections in fall 2020.  Of note, reconfiguring the ward boundaries to ensure all ten comply to the legislated population range will affect the boundaries of other wards as well in all three options.

This means that for the 2020 municipal and school boards' election, Ward 8's boundaries WILL change. 

Beginning on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 road resurfacing work will begin on Acadia Drive. The work is anticipated to take 6 days to complete, barring weather delays and unforeseen circumstances. The work has been coordinated in phases in order to minimize disruptions to the area, see attached construction notice and detour maps for additional information.

College Park, thank you for your patience as the City completes construction along TWO segments of Acadia Drive.

Acadia Drive is closed at both Carleton Drive and between Leddy Crescent and Harrington Crescent. This will cause a delay in folks trying to use Acadia Drive as there is no through access. Please note, the construction at Acadia Drive/Carleton Drive will be complete on Friday, August 2 and open again for use on Saturday, August 3. The construction at Acadia/Harrington/Leddy will be in place until August 26.

The College Park and East College Park Neighbourhood Traffic Review has been finalized based on traffic analysis, field observations and feedback from residents (emails, phone calls, social media, meetings, etc.). The plan is coming to the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation on Monday, April 1, 2019 for endorsement.

The report is available for review through the public agenda.

If you would like to speak at the Committee or Council meetings, please submit the online form by 8:00 am on the day of the meeting.

In addition to regular road maintenance, the Building Better Roads program is aiming to improve another 206 lane kilometres of roadway and replace more than 20 kilometers of sidewalk during the 2018 construction season. Since the establishment of a dedicated road levy in 2014, 876 lane kilometers of roadway have been improved and 36 kilometers of sidewalk have been replaced under the program.

When the 2018 construction season is complete, the Building Better Roads program will have rehabilitated 1,085 lane kilometres of roadway. That’s roughly the one-way distance from City Hall to Salmon Arm, BC. The 56 kilometers of sidewalk replaced would create a path the distance from City Hall to Borden.

Every home has some risk for flooding during spring snow melt and rain storms. The City of Saskatoon and SGI CANADA are sponsoring a national pilot program to help Saskatoon homeowners understand their flood risk and take measures to protect their property from flooding.

Saskatoon homeowners can register now for a free or partially-subsidized professional Home Flood Protection Program home assessment – valued at $450 - to help identify their flood risks. The subsidized Home Flood Protection Program inspections will be available to the first 400 Saskatoon homeowners to register in 2018. 

Up to 100 homes that meet the criteria for high flood risk areas are eligible for a free home assessment. Other homeowners are eligible for a subsidized rate of $125. (Homes that qualify for free assessments will have already received a notice from the City of Saskatoon indicating their eligibility.)

As soon as the roads are dry in early spring, the City begins a spring sweeping blitz to remove heavier dirt and debris that gathers over the winter. Beginning in April, yellow No Parking signs are posted on scheduled priority streets to notify drivers of upcoming curb-to-curb sweeping through neighbourhoods. In mid-October, street sweeping occurs in select neighbourhoods to reduce the potential for spring flooding.