Saskatoon council meetings reconvene in the new year

SASKATOON – The first official council meeting of 2013 is set to get underway tonight and councillors have an abundant agenda to get through.

Councillors will be asked to take the first real step towards building a north commuter bridge in Saskatoon.

Administration is recommending Clifton Associates Ltd. be hired to complete a preliminary geo-technical and environmental assessment for the proposed bridge.

The contract is worth over $109,000.

Administration is also recommending council approve Golder Associates Ltd. for remediation of the Nutana slope at a cost of around $100,000 so an intersection can be reopened.

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Last June, the Nutana riverbank shifted, causing the intersection of 17th Street East and Saskatchewan Crescent to be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

City council will be asked to accept the proposal submitted by AECOM Canada Ltd. for engineering services for the cogeneration system at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) at an upset fee of around $1,300,000.

The WWTP currently flares excess biogas instead of converting this waste gas into electricity and heat.

Biogas is a renewable by-product created during the digestion of solids removed in the wastewater treatment process.

The city says Biogas conditioning for the generators will reduce plant maintenance and increase power reliability.

Residents may have to deal with harsher enforcement of the city’s Sidewalk Snow Clearing Bylaw in 2013.

Under the current bylaw, property owners must clear sidewalks of snow and ice within 48 hours of a snowfall, with some designated commercial and suburban areas required to be cleared within 24 hours.

Administration will be asked to identify a 2013 funding source to increase bylaw enforcement and to access a 7-day ticketing process of having residential sidewalks cleared by the city and a charge added to repeat offender’s taxes.