Future potential school sites will be marked by signs starting in November 2014.
Council passed a motion put forth by Mayor Nolan Crouse during Monday night’s meeting to have signage put up indicating possible school sites.
“If you drive around the school sites today, there’s no signs,” Crouse said. He noted St. Albert Transit had put signs up indicating future bus stops as a good example of letting residents know what’s intended for their area. Crouse made a second motion to have city administration bring potential changes to bylaws or policies in order to have a sign requirement be permanent to council by Sept. 1, 2014.
Crouse said he wants to see the sign requirement embedded in policy or a bylaw so that it lasts longer than the current council.
“We have to find a way to put these things in place,” Crouse said.
Coun. Wes Brodhead was on board with the sign idea.
“It’s imperative that our citizens be aware, continually aware, of spaces within our community that have been designated as municipal reserve for the purposes of school sites or other uses,” Brodhead said.
Coun. Malcolm Parker was concerned adding more signs could take away from the initiative to beautify the city.
“If we start putting up signs for everything, then do we not start to clutter our city with signs?” Parker asked. He pointed out there are other avenues for residents to get information about future development in their area.
Coun. Cam MacKay offered a friendly amendment, which was accepted by Crouse, to change the deadline for signs to go up from Nov. 1, 2013 to Nov. 1, 2014. MacKay said that way any changes being suggested for the Land Use Bylaw or other policies to continue the sign practice would be in place before the signs go up.
MacKay did raise concerns that school reserve sites can, under the Municipal Government Act, be used not just for schools, but for everything from a park to a police station.
“I’m okay with us having signs installed on Nov. 1, 2014 because by then the second motion will be supported,” MacKay said.
The motion to install the signs by Nov. 1, 2014 was carried, with Parker the lone vote against the motion. The second motion, to have administration bring forward potential policy changes, was passed unanimously. Coun. Roger Lemieux was absent from the meeting.
