Town of Devon River Valley Trail Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Town of Devon River Valley Trail Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) When did the planning for this trail project start? In 1990, The Ribbon of Green Master Plan was published by the City of Edmonton. This award winning, visionary report outlined the goal of a linear park and trail system along the North Saskatchewan River, from Fort Saskatchewan through Edmonton. In 1996, this plan was extended to Devon with the creation of the River Valley Alliance. Since then, the River Valley Alliance and the communities along the length of the extended “Ribbon of Green” have been working together to develop this linear park and associated trails. In 2014, the Town of Devon Council approved moving forward with the preliminary and detailed design of the trails along the river valley adjacent to Devon, followed by construction in 2015 and 2016. What is the River Valley Alliance?1 The River Valley Alliance (RVA) was formed in 1996 by the seven municipalities bordering the Capital Region’s North Saskatchewan River: Town of Devon, Parkland County, Leduc County, City of Edmonton, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County and City of Fort Saskatchewan. The River Valley Alliance has a compelling goal – to preserve, protect and enhance the river valley – to create one of the largest river valley parks in the world, and to create a legacy for generations to come. The RVA goal is to connect the many parks, trails and other green spaces along the capital region into one continuous publicly-accessible park. When complete, it will be the longest metropolitan park in North America at 88 km and one of the largest at 18,000 acres. The RVA has three primary roles: Coordinate river valley planning and development within the seven member municipalities 1 http://www.rivervalley.ab.ca/about-rva/ Ensure the plans respond to and balance the social, recreation, environment and economic needs of capital region residents Raise funds to bring the plans to reality Who is going to pay for the trails? Funding for this project is from three sources: Town of Devon, Province of Alberta and Building Canada. Each will have an equal share in the costs. How were the locations and type of trails selected? Existing trails have been in place within the river valley and connecting into Devon for some time. The River Valley Trails Master Plan (Lees + Associates, 2014), as well as earlier studies, assessed the existing trail system and established future trail requirements. Missing links or connections required to make a continuous trail along the river were also identified. The trails were broken out into two categories: primary trails and secondary trails. These trail types reflect priorities for upgrades or construction, as well as anticipated use and accessibility levels. Primary trails will be, where possible, a hard 3 m wide surface with gentle slopes for easy access to popular areas along the river. In anticipation of a higher level of use developing over time, a hard surface (asphalt) was chosen for these high use trails to reduce erosion and trail degradation. In addition, a wide range of users with varying abilities will have access with a hard surface trail. Secondary trails will be narrower and will have a natural surface, such as gravel. Secondary trails may also be less accessible due to the terrain (slopes) and therefore will probably have less users. What about impacts to the environment? One of the mandates of the RVA and the Town is to preserve, protect and enhance the river valley. The intent of trail development within the river valley is to minimize disturbance. Most of the trail alignments will remain where they are to reduce impacts. Tree removal will be minimal. Areas that may be compromised by construction, such as eroded or unstable slopes, will be avoided. Animal and bird habitat will be minimally impacted by construction and future use as the existing trail locations are, for the most part, being retained. The wildlife in the area has been acclimatized to the existing trail activity. All environmental studies and assessments, as required by federal regulatory and provincial agencies, are in the process of being completed prior to any construction. What is the timing of this project? Preliminary design is complete. Detailed design is ongoing. The intent is to tender the project in early spring 2015. Construction is planned for the summer of 2015 and possibly into 2016. The trails would be available for use in 2016 at the latest (weather dependent). How can I provide input on this project? A public meeting will take place on January 13, 2015: Time: 6 to 9pm Location: Devon Community Centre, Main Hall 20 Haven Avenue, Devon A presentation will be made at 6:30 and 8:00pm. Comment forms will be available and staff will be there to chat with you about the project. .

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