Fund zoo berm with taxes, report says
A $10.2-million berm upgrade to protect the Calgary Zoo from future floods tops the list of “resilience” projects that council will consider next week for funding from a recent tax windfall.
Although most councillors would rather return the money to taxpayers, administrators are recommending that next year’s instalment of the controversial $52-million tax take be devoted to upgrades to build Calgary’s resistance to flood damage.
A report released late Wednesday makes city officials’ case for the budget move, but it only details $22.7 million of proposed resilience initiatives. It suggests more projects will come later, including from recommendations a city flood task force and expert panel are working on.
But of the protective construction measures already proposed, the biggest one would insulate the zoo — the island tourist attraction that won’t be fully open until next Thursday, more than five months after flood waters swamped it.
Zoo and city flood recovery planners have discussed a higher berm around St. George’s Island.
“The initial design has been completed, which requires a series of dykes, concrete wall barriers and road raising/widening to adequately protect the zoo to the 1-in-100-year flood level,” the city report says.
Trish Exton-Parder confirmed the $10.2-million estimated budget, and that the zoo is working on a design for the extensive project. The cost pales in comparison to the $50 million in damage the facility suffered, plus $10 million in lost revenue.
The first proposed resilience projects also include $2.1 million worth of upgrades to the city’s Emergency Operations Centre north of the Centre Street Bridge. The $52.6-million facility only opened last fall, but after its first major use officials found it needs software upgrades and more meeting rooms.
Other measures include $900,000 in fire building upgrades, corporate security measures, and $6 million in analysis of key buildings in flood zones and “phase 1” projects.
While this tally falls well shy of the $52 million the budget is asking council to commit, flood recovery director Gord Stewart’s report predicts more to come. Among them, Stampede Park may need higher berms along its eroded Elbow River banks, the report notes.
The document notes that some of the expenses may be covered by provincial mitigation or erosion control programs, although the city’s early projects list doesn’t assume any recouping of those costs.
Council voted in July to commit this year’s portion of the $52 million to post-flood repairs that insurance and provincial programs won’t cover, and to suggest flood-related uses of 2014’s portion of the tax fund. Mayor Naheed Nenshi has signalled he’d prefer to keep the $52 million again in 2014, but nine of his 14 colleagues have said they want to return the money to taxpayers, and most of them would rather dip into Calgary’s $300-million reserve fund.
Stewart’s report cautions that Calgary will be more vulnerable to future floods if these projects aren’t funded somehow, and speaks of this being an ideal time to spend on these protective projects.
“There is opportunity to build back better, leverage public and political interest in disaster resilience, and to strengthen the sense of community in Calgary through preparedness,” the report says.