M.D. of Bonnyville Council Highlights September 27th, 2017

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS September 27, 2017

Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!

#1 In-House 2018 Road Construction Priority List – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council passed the 2018 In-House Road Construction Priority List totaling 14.25 miles to give administration time to start the engineering and design process for next year’s construction season. Council acknowledged this list would likely be reassessed after the October 16 election.

Ward 1

RR. Rd. 454	SH 657 to Muriel Lake	.75 mile	New construction
Twp. Rd. 605	RR 440 to RR 442	2 miles	Reconstruction
Ward 2
RR 473	Hwy 28 to 1.5 miles north	1.5 mile	New construction
Ward 3
RR 474	Twp. Rd. 614 to Twp. Rd. 615	1 mile	New construction
RR 483	Twp. Rd. 592 1.5 miles north	1.5 miles	Reconstruction
Ward 4
RR 454	Twp. Rd. 621 to Twp. Rd. 622	1 mile	Reconstruction
Ward 5
RR 440 (Esso)	Twp. Rd. 643 to Twp. Rd. 644	1 mile	Reconstruction
Twp. Rd. 622	RR 435 to RR 440	1 mile	Reconstruction
Twp. Rd. 620	East and West of SH 892	1.5 miles	Reconstruction
Twp. Rd. 625	RR 442 to RR 443	1 miles	Reconstruction
Ward 6
Twp. Rd. 630	RR 415 to City of Cold Lake	2 miles	Reconstruction
On the alternate list are: Ward 3
RR 473	Twp. Rd. 614 to 0.5 mile south	0.5 mile	New construction
RR 494	Twp. Rd. 604 to Twp. Rd. 605	1 mile	Reconstruction

 

#2 Please, Don’t Endanger Other Bin Site Users – Please take your hazardous materials to the landfill sites. There is no charge for the service year-round. Throwing hazardous material into a bin endangers you, your neighbours who also use the site and M.D. staff who pick up the garbage. Recently a garbage truck caught on fire after picking up a hot load (i.e. ashes or coals from a recent fire) at a bin site. Bagged household garbage should only be thrown into a bin – meaning smaller items that come from your house. Items in the bag cannot be toxic, poisonous, hot or potentially cause a chemical reaction when mixed with other garbage. A common item that is very dangerous are small or large propane bottles that can explode when crushed in the garbage truck compactor.

 

#3 M.D. Assists Carillion With Highway Mowing – Council agreed to enter into an agreement with Carillion to provide roadside mowing services for Highway 28 within the M.D. and Highway 55 East to the Saskatchewan border. Carillion is the provincial contractor responsible for all primary and secondary highways in the region. Carillion had indicated it would have difficulty completing it’s mowing program in the Bonnyville/Cold Lake area. With the possibility of five weeks still left in the mowing season, M.D. staff believe there is enough

 

time to complete the project. The M.D. will be compensated for mowing the ditches. In the future, Council would like to see the province approach the municipality earlier in the season to assist with highway mowing to prevent weeds from going to seed.

 

#4 Two Positive Clubroot Samples – Agricultural staff inspected 367 canola fields where 11 samples of suspected Clubroot were found, with two positive Clubroot samples being returned from the same producer. Staff are urging farmers in the M.D. to take proactive measures to prevent contaminating fields with Clubroot spores that could be brought in by new machinery or custom applicators. The M.D. will once again host meetings in the winter to help educate producers on the effects of Clubroot. As a result of the new samples and to help prevent the spread of the disease, Council agreed to amend Policy No. 60.63.13 Control of Clubroot Disease in Canola to read “All adjacent landowners and/or occupants to the affected land will be notified in writing that Clubroot is present. Requests for legal land locations of infected fields will be disclosed to M.D. residents, custom applicators, Agriculture and Forestry, AFSC, research and any other parties with genuine commercial interests of the affected lands with the exception of the media or press.”

 

#5 Coyote & Wolf Reduction Program Changing for 2017 – M.D. of Bonnyville Council agreed to suspend the coyote portion of the Coyote & Wolf Reduction Program for the beginning of this season. There are concerns that the coyote population is a little lower and staff feel that more time is needed to see if the population changes. Council will review the program again in January 2018. The wolf portion of the program will continue, with the payout of $75 per animal that meet the program guidelines.

 

#6 Public Safety Update – Officers continue to do crime prevention patrols in our rural communities. Since late 2016, officers have taken some time on many of their shifts to focus attention on areas which could be targeted by criminals. Officers have increased their patrols on Ardmore’s main street to deal with an uptick in speeding complaints. Morning shifts have been focusing on patrolling industrial traffic routes, as well as school bus routes where tanker trucks are not pulling over for the bus to pass. School Resource Officers have started programming in the schools. This year a new program is being introduced which focuses on healthy choices and includes components related to relationships, body image and healthy lifestyle. There was an escalation in the type of dog complaints. Officers dealt with two dog bites and a dog that left its property and killed another dog which was being walked on a leash.

 

#7 Parks, Recreation & Culture Update – The Community Services Department is officially changing its name to the Parks, Recreation & Culture Department effective October 2. The new name better reflects what the department is responsible for in the M.D. Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort is getting ready for opening day. Load testing has been completed on the Green Chair Lift and testing is being done on the Blue Chair Lift. Sealant is being put on the new deck, with stair and hand rail installation in the process of being done. A deficiency walk through remains to be done. Parks staff are working to remove some spray paint vandalism on the lookout outhouse and boundary rocks at Muriel Lake M.D. Park. Staff are reviewing the cost of online reservation suppliers for the M.D. Campgrounds. The trails in Muriel Lake Park are ready for the onslaught of high school runners who are participating in the Zone Cross Country Run on October 11.

Council approved $5,000 in additional funding for a $19,000 mini-truck that enables Parks staff to operate with year-round versatility.

 

#8 Transportation And Utilities News – The Construction Crew has completed Township Road 630 and is starting on Range Road 453 this week. The Paving Crew has completed the bottom lift on the north section of Rge. Rd. 485 and is working on the south section as areas are ready. Twp. Rd. 624 is completed. The Oiling Crews have completed Rge. Rds. 443 and 453, as well as Twp. Rd. 610. The crews are currently working on Twp. Rd. 614 and Rge. Rd. 425A into Beaverdam and will finish the year on Rge. Rd. 492. The Drainage Crew is currently working in Pine Meadows to install some additional piping to provide better drainage. The crews on Baywood Road have removed all the cold mix and installed new culverts. The contractor is now on site, cement stabilizing the subgrade and crews will be placing base gravel in preparation for paving. The Paving Crew will mobilize to the site once a large enough section of roadway is ready. The Esso Road is currently having some geotechnical testing done to determine the best course of action. It has been recommended for the 2018 Construction List. The contractor completed the work on the Ardmore Storm Pond. The contractor on the Ardmore Surface Works Project should be done the first week of October. The Gurneyville Road contractor is still waiting for the line painting to be completed. The line painting contractor for the M.D. has completed this year’s work. The contractor has completed mixing the winter sand supply.

 

#9 Agriculture Update – The final mowing pass of the season is continuing, with staff trying to get to the fence lines to remove small brush. Mowing should be completed in the next couple of weeks, despite slowdowns during the season because of weather. Subdivisions were completed last week with smaller mowers. The ski hill will be mowed in mid-October prior to the snow falling. Ag staff are working with Cold Lake First Nations to remove beaver dams.

Alberta Transportation will also be working with the two partners where the dams are adjacent to Highway 28.

 

#10 Funding Support – Council agreed to contribute $500 to the Bonnyville Friendship Centre for the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners on October 4 and December 14 respectively at the Beaver River Fish and Game building.