The Lacombe Main Street Program has received the Envision Silver Award for sustainable infrastructure, designated by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). To reach Silver status, a project must demonstrate that it delivers a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the local community.
The Lacombe Main Street Program is the first project in the Province of Alberta to earn an Envision Award. The City of Lacombe worked in close collaboration with Stantec and Pidherney’s Inc. to deliver this award-winning sustainable infrastructure project which has also recently been recognized with the American Public Works Association (APWA) Alberta Chapter Project of the Year Award.
“The Lacombe Main Street Program is an excellent example of turning an urgent, negative situation—in this case a degraded sanitary sewer system—into a sustainable, vibrant, community- and business-oriented project,” said ISI president and CEO, John Stanton.
In 2015, the City of Lacombe discovered that the sanitary sewer along 50 Avenue was in urgent need of repair. Less invasive repair alternatives were not available due to the condition of the sewer system, therefore, Main Street through Lacombe’s Historic Downtown would need to be closed during construction to complete an open cut sewer main replacement. To limit future disruption to this critical downtown business area, the City took a proactive approach by having the project team review future infrastructure needs for a growing population and business sector. In addition to the sanitary sewer improvements, a wide variety of community assets were improved or rehabilitated as part of the Main Street Program. The City of Lacombe has focused on delivering infrastructure projects based on the fundamentals of sustainability, asset management, and resiliency.
Key factors contributing to the Main Street Program earning Envision Silver include improved community quality of life; improved site accessibility, safety, and wayfinding; improved infrastructure integration, enhancing public space; and providing for stakeholder involvement.
“We are very excited to celebrate the Envision Silver certification of the Lacombe Main Street project,” says Todd Simenson, vice president, Alberta North & Territories, Stantec. “At Stantec, we are dedicated to serving the communities in central Alberta and this project is a great example of how our creativity, innovative project execution, and partnership with our clients can truly make a positive impact on the places we call home.”
