M.D. Council Highlights

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS May 9, 2018

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

• #1 Lessard Bridge Closed Indefinitely – Please be aware and obey the “Bridge Closed” signs. Do not remove road barricades. Four piles on the Lessard Bridge, on Range Road 452, were damaged by ice during the spring break up on the Beaver River. The bridge and road have been closed from Township Road 624 on the south end and Twp. Rd. 624a on the north end. Bridge Closed signage has been put up on the township road and concrete barricades have been erected on both ends of the bridge. The present estimated cost of repair is $900,000, plus engineering fees. If the bridge has to be replaced, the estimated cost increases to $3.5 million, plus engineering fees. Repairs will be done in consultation with Alberta Environment and Parks and the Federal Fisheries and Oceans departments. The repair will be a lengthy process, and may not be initiated until the winter months due to environmental concerns.

 

• #2 Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Assessments – Public Safety is hosting a series of Open Houses to introduce residents to the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Assessments (CPTED) program. Crime Prevention Officer Dan Hansen will explain the theories and concepts of CPTED. Residents can book a free CPTED survey of their property or sign out an engraver to mark their valuable belongings with a unique indicator the police can use to identify items to prove they are stolen. Residents can also take advantage of free vacant home property checks. Open Houses will be held at the following community halls from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Sandy Rapids – May 15; Flat Lake – May 23; Riverhurst – May 29; Cherry Grove – May 31; Willow Prairie (La Corey) – June 6; Goodridge – June 12; Beaverdam– June 14; Fort Kent – June 19; and Ardmore – June 21. Officer Hansen has done assessments on several acreages, farms and municipal buildings.

 

• #3 Loan Guarantee – Council gave first reading to Borrowing Bylaw No. 1690 to guarantee a $150,000 loan to the Bonnyville & District Recreation Sports Association (Bonnyville Junior “A” Pontiacs Hockey Club) through the Lakeland Credit Union. The Town of Bonnyville gave first reading to the same borrowing bylaw for an additional $150,000. The Association is seeking funding in the form of a new term loan for $250,000, an authorized overdraft agreement for $50,000 and a Letter of Credit for $5,000 for a total of $305,000.

 

• #4 Agriculture and Waste Update – Crews have been out cleaning culverts and trapping beavers in problem areas. The priority are systems that are affecting roads and private infrastructure and then staff will tackle the flooded farm areas. The provincial trapping season closes on May 15. The department is continuing to sell Strychnine for the control of Richardson Ground Squirrels. The cost is $7.50 for a 250 ml bottle that treats one gallon of grain. The Beaver River Regional Waste Management Commission is reviewing the current haul contract to Thorhild, and will have to decide in the upcoming month who will be hauling waste for the commissions for the next few years. Volumes of waste are consistent with the past two years. The M.D. received approval for a $30,000 Tire Marshaling Grant for the construction of a collection pad at the Hilda Lake Landfill. Construction will start in the summer, with completion in the fall.

 

• #5 Public Safety Update –The pre-registration for the barn cat spay/neuter clinic was a success with almost all the spaces being taken. Officers are increasing patrols in the Iron River and Sandy Rapids areas of Ward 4 in response to a complaint about overloaded/overweight logging trucks. Officers reunited a missing dog with its owner after responding to an injured animal complaint. The dog had been missing since January. Officers responded to complaints of speeding gravel trucks in the Fort Kent area. The company was contacted and they assured the M.D. it will not happen again. Additional patrols are being conducted. Officers are patrolling the Birch Grove area on weekends and evenings to monitor complaints of a quad being driven on the road and the walking trail. It is the same quad in each compliant. Officers provided traffic control to ensure access for fire trucks during a grass fire in the Crane Lake area. School Resource Officers are doing their regular drop-ins and recess/lunchtime visits as well as the following sessions over the next two weeks: Crime Scene Investigation Program at Dr. Brosseau and Holy Cross schools; Self Defense for Grade 7 girls from various schools at the C2; Go Girls and Go Boys at Dr. Brosseau and HEB Schools; Bike Safety at Cold Lake Elementary, North Star, St. Dominic’s and Ardmore Schools. Drug Awareness sessions at Glendon and Notre Dame High School, Life Choices Program sessions at Ecole de Beaux lacs, Drug Awareness sessions at Cold Lake High School; Track and Field Day participation at HEB School and rugby coaching, including a tournament, at Assumption School.

 

• #6 Transportation and Utilities Update – The Construction Crew has started work and is currently working on Township Road 605 from Range Road 440 to Rge. Rd. 442. The Oiling and Base Paving crews will be starting on projects after the May long weekend. Work will begin on the La Corey North Resource Road on June 15. Work will start on the Highway 28 Trail Crossing the first week of June. Ardmore Underground line replacement will start on May 22 and hydrovacing for locates will start on May 14. Work on Rge. Rd. 440 (Esso Road) will begin on July 15. Crews have been responding to multiple road washouts and flooding concerns. Crews are still steaming some blocked culverts and replacing washed out culverts. Currently only two roads are closed in the M.D. (Lessard Bridge and Range Road 435). Plans for drainage improvements are being itemized and scheduled for the coming months. A temporary bridge has been installed on the Wolf Lake Road to allow safe access until the water levels go down and additional culverts can be installed. Currently two patch trucks are up and running when required and when conditions allow. Drainage improvements that have been done on Rge. Rd. 454 have worked as designed over the spring run-off. Further work will continue after the spring conditions dry up. On May 1, the M.D. was served an enforcement order from Alberta Environment and Parks to stop all work on the Birch Grove Drainage ditch and to supply them with a remedial plan to the structure for their approval by June 1. Tenders for the new waterline from Cold Lake to Bonnyville will be going out at the end of May. Once the budget costs are established, the province will be approached for increased

 

• #7 Planning and Development News – In April, 21 Development Permits were issued, including 18 Residential, one Commercial, and two Industrial, with a year-to-date total of $6,810,387. Year-to-date housing starts include 10 Single Family Dwellings and two Mobile Home Units. In April, 28 Plumbing, Gas, Sewer and Electrical Permits were issued. The M.D. has 13 Subdivision Applications to date. First Reading was given to Bylaw No. 1689 for the Temporary Closure, Occupation and Lease of a Government Road Allowance between the NE 19 and NW 20-62-7-W4M.

 

• #8 Funding Support – Council agreed to provide an additional $50,000 to the Bonnyville Medical Clinic – Medical Development Loan Fund to assist in the recruitment of eight new doctors to the Bonnyville Hospital. Funds are used to provide aid in housing purchases that are paid back over a three year period. The Eastbourne Community Club received its $25,000 Annual Operating Grant. The Eastbourne Community Club also received a $43,603.36 Capital Grant for ball diamond renovations. The total cost of the upgrades to the two ball diamonds is $109,008.40, with the Club receiving a $54,504.20 Community Facilities Enhancement Grant from the province and the Club contributing $10,900.84 for the balance of the funds. Council approved a $2,000 contribution to the Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce to help offset the cost of hiring summer students at the Visitor Information Centre. Council approved a request from the Bonnyville Agricultural Society for two trailers of panels, 30 picnic tables and mowing of the grounds for the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association Races from June 8 to 10.

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• #9 Briefly – Reeve Greg Sawchuk declared June 3 to 9 Senior’s Week, to honour the past, present and future contributions of seniors to the community. The Bonnyville Regional Water Services Commission was approved by provincial Order In Council on April 10, 2018. Once the board of directors are appointed, the Commission will commence operations. Council provided a Letter of Support to the Bonnyville SPCA for their Community Initiatives Program grant application to fund wages for an Executive Director. Council approved a letter of support for the Alberta Northwest Species at Risk Committee to urge the federal government to work with affected municipalities across Canada and recognize that the “objective of the Species at Risk Act is to ensure the survival and recovery of at-risk species’ populations, rather than establishing the permanent protection of lands considered to be at-risk species’ critical habitat” for such species as Caribou.