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Main Street 'test' starts Oct. 25

Bulb-outs, pull-outs and boulevards ... at least pretend ones.
intersections

Bulb-outs, pull-outs and boulevards ... at least pretend ones. That's what motorists and pedestrians can expect to see on the Lac La Biche Main Street starting at the end of the month as municipal officials plan out a sneak-peek of a possible multi-million dollar transformation of the community's downtown.

Titled Mission: Main Street, the trial will last from October 25 to November 8, offering a re-time glimpse at what the design will look like for a planned downtown road and sidewalk revitalization. Engineering plans for the new downtown roads and sidewalks could begin as early as next summer.

But first, councillors and municipal administrators need to see how the community adapts and reacts to some of the planned changes to roads, sidewalks and parking. Although the entire downtown is in the crosshairs for the overall revitalization project, municipal officials say only the area around the Main Street intersection with 101 Street will see the bulk of the concept trial changes.

“Council and Administration have been working together and with stakeholders to explore options for enhancing Main Street for several months now, and it’s time to put some things to the test,” said Mayor Omer Moghrabi in a recent statement. “We want to find a design that’s functional and aesthetically appealing for our residents and visitors.”

Revitalizing Main Street is one aspect of the County’s approach to economic development, say municipal officials. The objective, notes Lac La Biche County spokesperson Alex Fuller,  is to create more animated, pedestrian-friendly spaces in the downtown area, so that residents and visitors feel encouraged to spend more time in the hamlet’s central district.

The trial will use pylons, paint and movable barriers to highlight the plans for larger sidewalks, sitting areas, new parking configurations and road widths.

The two-week trial was supposed to happen during the summer months, but had to be postponed because permission to alter the area wasn't issued by Alberta Transportation brass who oversee the operations of the Lac La Biche Main Street as it is categorized as a provincial roadway.  Government agreement was only received two weeks ago, said Clayton Kittlitz, the county's senior manager or planning and economic development.

The delay in receiving permission initially meant the entire downtown revitalization plan was going to be put back by at least a year. The Main Street makeover will coincide the removal and upgrade of existing cast iron utility pipes running under the main downtown street. New sidewalks, boulevards, parking areas, curbs, gutter, streetlights and other infrastructure. The total project has been estimated to carry a $12 -  $15 million price tag.

Do it now

"We are looking to try this again in the spring,"  Kittlitz recommended to Lac La Biche County Councillors last Tuesday at the regular council meeting, adding that concept trial delay would put the whole project back by at least a year.

The recommendation sparked a discussion from council about the project — and the need to move forward ... even if it's cold.

"Even if there's snow on the ground ... I mean we will have to deal with snow regardless," said councillor Lorin Tkachuk.

Kittlitz said the cooler weather would limit some of the 'props', like trees or planters, but his department was ready to go ahead if council wanted to.

Councillor Darlene Beniuk joked that Christmas trees could be used in the trial to indicate where decorative trees could be placed in the final version, agreeing that a practice run during cooler weather was more realistic.

"Winter is more of a challenge anyway, so it's a good test project," said Beniuk, adding that moving ahead with the test will also help to keep the long-term schedule for the overall project on track.

Onsite feedback

The Mission: Main Street test will also give residents a chance to  tell the County staff what they like and don’t like about the design concept. Municipal staff will also be organizing on-street activities during the trial period to show what additional opportunities can come from the changes.

In early version of the downtown revitalization, traffic circles were included in the concept.  Those have now been removed from the model.  There are still plans to have prominent art pieces installed to mark the downtown area, along with decorative crosswalks. Dark-sky friendly streetlights and Wifi hotspot zones at sitting areas were also included in the original concept plans.


Rob McKinley

About the Author: Rob McKinley

Rob has been in the media, marketing and promotion business for 30 years, working in the public sector, as well as media outlets in major metropolitan markets, smaller rural communities and Indigenous-focused settings.
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