The City of St. Albert is requesting proposals from qualified, licensed and professional
consulting firms to provide the consulting services associated with the development of
trail connectivity and construction of Oakmont Trail.
The successful consultant will be responsible for reviewing and being familiar with the
existing current Red Willow Park Urban Park Master Plan, and all relevant City studies
and management plans (see Schedule C).
Phase 1: Feasibility - Environmental Assessment, Geotechnical Analysis, Trail
Routing, 30% Detail Design and Historic Resource Impact Assessment
In Phase 1 the proponent will complete geotechnical studies and an environmental
assessment, of the Oakmont Trail area specifically in the areas of Trail Section 1-3 to
determine constructability, limitations, potential rerouting options (if required) and the
identification of timing and impacts of construction.
The consulting firm will be required to assist with obtaining all required permits for
construction, crossing agreements (if any) and land surveys. These results will identify
any limitations or parameters for construction and pay a major role in determining
constructability of items, phasing and costing.
Public and targeted stakeholder engagement will form part of the evaluation of trail
connectivity options and ultimate recommendations on design. The proponent will
support the City’s engagement team through the provision of information boards and
graphics to support public understanding of the project and support as subject matter
experts at public and targeted stakeholder events.
Phase 1 will conclude with a decision-making rubric on whether to proceed with Phase
2 based on the findings of the various components and research completed.
Phase 2: Detail Design 60%, 90% and IFT (PROVISIONAL).
From the findings in Phase 1 the proponent will work with the City to further develop the
best option for trail connectivity from the 30% detail design drawings to a refined tender
ready document.
Part 2 will focus on the site-specific trail and amenity requirements to meet the City of
St. Albert standards. The proponent will rely on the documents as outlined in “Schedule
C”.
Of additional importance is the Historical Resources Impact Assessment for potential
historic resources potentially located in the area (HRV 5a). This component will form part of the project once feasible trail routes have been identified to ensure efficient use
of investigative research into areas that would provide the highest and best value for
connectivity.
Phase 3: Construction Management Services (PROVISIONAL)
The Phase 3 component of the project will be subject to securing funds for the
development of the trail, and the results of Phase 1 feasibility and Phase 2 Detail
Design.
Background
The Red Willow Urban Park Masterplan encompasses the Sturgeon River Valley, which
runs throughout the City of St. Albert from River Lot 56 to Big Lake. Red Willow Park is
an open space corridor which is managed to conserve St. Albert’s unique natural and
cultural heritage, and to provide a land and facility base for recreation pursuits,
accessible to all. The overall park is identified in the Active Transportation Strategy,
Red Willow Park Master Plan (1991) and policies as outlined by Flourish (2021).
As part of the long-term development of the corridor, several opportunities have been
identified within the Oakmont neighbourhood which would contribute to overall
completion of the Red Willow Trail network. These gaps are located generally between
Boudreau Rd. and Bellerose Dr. on the north side of Sturgeon River and form the focus
of the project.
To provide flexibility in the further addressing of these gaps, the trail connections are
broken down further into three specific sections, all with differing site-specific
challenges. Trail sections are further discussed in 5.0 Scope of Services and to be
priced as outlined in “Schedule D”, Fee Proposal Template.
As the north shore of the Sturgeon River is a significant wildlife corridor and
environmentally sensitive area, environmental considerations are a high priority to be
addressed in the scope of work. The consultant is responsible to ensure all work
follows the City’s guidelines and standards for management and development of these
areas.
This project is located adjacent to a newly approved development with the Oakmont
Area Structure Plan (ASP), known as Riverbank Landing. This development provides
trail linkages across private land that could form part of the third trail section; and as
such engagement with the landowners on potential routing options to complete section
three is within scope for this project. Additional general and targeted public
engagement support to the City team is required and further described in 5.0 Scope of
Services.
Refer to Schedule “C” for further information regarding these master plans, guidelines
and standards.
