M.D. of Bonnyville Council Highlights Aug. 22

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87 COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS August 22, 2018

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

#1 Please Fill Out The Recreation Needs Assessment Survey – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council wants to hear from you! M.D. Postcards with a code to take an online Recreation Needs Assessment survey have been mailed out. If you did not receive a postcard, there is an opportunity to still fill out the survey online at https://md.bonnyville.ab.ca/403/Recreation-Needs-Assessment.

Paper copies of the survey can also be obtained at the M.D. of Bonnyville Main Administration offices (4905 – 50 Avenue in Bonnyville), as well as the Parks Shop and our Transportation and Utilities Shop, both located at 61330 Range Road 455. If you would like a copy of the survey mailed to you, please call the Parks & Rec Department at 780-826-3972.

In addition to the survey, there will be two open houses held in September. The first will be held Tuesday, Sept. 11 at the Cold Lake Energy Centre from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the second on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre, also from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The survey deadline is September 15. The Recreation Needs Assessment project is scheduled to be completed by the end of October 2018.

#2 Rural Beautification Awards – The Agriculture Service Board (ASB) presented this year’s Rural Beautification Awards to Nick and Nancy Ozero, who live south of La Corey, with the Farmstead Award and Kristen and Kristy Mack, who live south of Glendon, with the Acreage Beatification Award.

#3 Rural Crime Prevention Program Ongoing – The Public Safety Department is now prioritizing crime prevention patrols, using information from resident and farmers about activity in their areas. The Crime Prevention Officer has been continuing with the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) property assessments. A request was made to do a CPTED survey on the new walking trail in Ardmore. Recommendations resulting from the survey will be submitted to the Parks, Recreation and Culture Department. Part of the CPTED assessment is to take night time photos of the property.

During one of these late night sessions, the Crime Prevention Officer stopped a suspicious person who was walking around properties in the Beaverdam area. The person claimed to be walking back home. The Officer secured the individual, and after a record and RCMP check, the individual was driven to his destination – away from the residences and farms at Beaverdam.

#4 Road Construction Patrols Continue Until End Of The Season – Public Safety Officers continue to patrol the M.D.’s construction zones. Officers have been monitoring traffic in construction zones due to calls from flag persons who are dealing with near misses. In all reported incidents officers have determined the driver, or owners of the vehicles, and charges have been laid. Officers have been keeping an eye on traffic in the Riverhurst and Ethel Lake areas due to traffic being diverted to the back access of Imperial Oil because of construction. Several tickets have been issued due to aggressive driving such as speeding, following too close and failing to stop at stop signs.

#5 Therien Landfill Improvements – M.D. Council agreed not to expand the land base of the Therien Landfill Site, instead making a motion to approve “Plan B”: to build upwards on top of the older Class III cells. This will create a different, larger type of above ground cell on the current, flatter ground.

The proposed elevated cell would initially be eight sections of cells, three on one side, four on the other, and the eighth down the middle, with berm walls starting out at one metre deep. As each section is filled, compacted and covered, the next section would be opened to receive waste. Once this expansion is completed, a new set of berm walls can be added to extend the height by another metre. This method allows growth-through-need.

#6 Planning and Development News – In July, 26 Development Permits were issued, 21 Residential and five Industrial permits, with a year-to-date total of $17,973,740. Year-to-date housing starts include 25 Single Family Dwellings and seven Mobile Home Units. In July, 62 Plumbing, Gas, Sewer and Electrical Permits were issued.

The M.D. has 23 Subdivision Applications to date. Final Reading was given to LU Bylaw No. 566 to rezone portions of Part NW 10-61-6 W4M (Fortier Area Structure Plan) for 29 acres to remain as Country Residential (CR3), 11.5 rezoned to Agriculture “A” and 6.5 acres rezoned to “CR” as subdivided

#7 Parks, Rec. and Culture News – Council approved the expenditure of $24,000 for environmental work to be carried out at the Cold Lake M.D. Park. The funds will be taken from the surplus budget. The project will cover the wetland field work, reporting and water act application and will allow for better planning of the campground expansion and development within the park. Camping season ends on September 9 so you might want to head out to Chicken Hill Lake to check out the new beach area that has been developed.

The Crane Lake Advisory and Stewardship Society has received a grant to install playground equipment at the Crane Lake West Campground. A new tin roof has been put on the Muriel Lake concession building. As the Parks Department replaces shingles and constructs new buildings, they will all have the same look with the tin roof. Planning has begun for the 2019 Snow Fever. The February event will kick-off with a concert at the Energy Centre sponsored by the M.D. and the City of Cold Lake.

#8 Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort Masterplan Update – Based on feedback from open houses and discussions with management and operations staff, the decision has been made to go with the shorter version of the green chair when it comes to replacing it in four years. It will mean a better overall ski experience, less cost to purchase, less time spent riding the lift, as well as less lift maintenance and snowmaking. The lift will stay as a triple chair, rather than a quad, as ski numbers don’t indicate the need for a quad chair. Part of the planning process will be to include options for downloading (coming down the hill rather than up) as well as attachments to carry mountain bikes.

#9 Agriculture Pest Surveillance – Clubroot and Blackleg inspections are wrapping up this week, with over 300 fields checked. Staff found a fifth field with Clubroot in Ward 3. All previous fields with the disease are now in the four-year rotation cycle of not planting Canola to prevent increased spread of the disease. With the cooperation of producers, the M.D. is managing to slow the spread of Clubroot.

Other municipalities in Alberta are seeing the increase go from 10 fields with Canola to 20 fields with the disease on an annual basis. Bertha Army Worm surveillance numbers were down this year, with no spraying in the area. The M.D. is advising farmers to keep a close eye on the number of grasshoppers per square metre. Staff have completed field inspections, with only a couple of fields meeting the economic threshold to warrant action. Fusarium inspections will start next week.

#10 Public Safety Update – Officers continue to monitor the Lessard Bridge and the closed roads on both sides. A number of charges were issued in early July and violations have dropped off considerably since then. Officers have been patrolling La Corey due to concerns over loitering and littering. Signs have been erected in the hamlet to help prevent these infractions.

Campground patrols have been generally good this year, with not as many calls for service as last year. The most prevalent complaint has been in relation to noise, such as someone running their generator all night. Officers continue to deal with unsightly properties in the Ardmore area. These properties are in various stages of progression – in either cleanup mode or going through the process to allow the municipality to clean them up. The speed on Range Road 463 has been reduced to 60 km/h after a request was approved. Officers continue to respond to dog control complaints, resulting in several dogs impounded and various warnings and tickets issued.

#11 Transportation and Utilities Update – Council awarded the Ardmore 47th Avenue Drainage Tender to PME Inc. for a total price of $454,513.75 and approved a total project budget of $516,513.75. Council agreed not to award the Fort Kent Connair Rehabilitation Tender at this time as it is over budget. The project will be retendered for the 2019 construction season in January. Council agreed to a $25,000 purchase of the temporary bridge that is currently being used on the Wolf Lake Road project. The monthly rental fee is $4,500, and the project has been extended due to weather conditions. The piece of equipment can be used on upcoming road construction projects.

The Road Construction Crew has completed work on Township Road 630 and is working on Twp. Rd. 620, south of Ardmore, working on the west portion while waiting for pole moves on other projects. Twp. Rd. 622 is next on the agenda. The Road Oiling Crew has finished Rge. Rd. 461 and is currently working on Rge. Rd. 435. Next up is Twp. Rd. 630 and Rge. Rd. 442. The Rip and Relay Crew has completed one section of Twp. Rd. 604 and is now working on the new oiling section of the same road. Next up is Twp. Rd. 612 west of Highway 881.

The Paving Crew has completed two miles of Twp. Rd. 630 and is working on the next two miles now that the road reconstruction is almost completed. The bottom lift is completed on Twp. Rd. 611A and the top lift will go on after the ditch cleanup is completed. The crew will be moving to the Rehab Centre Road after Twp. Rd. 630 is completed. The contractor on the Rge. Road 454 Drainage Project is continuing work on the project as conditions allow.

Additional forces will be required to complete this project by the middle of September. The Drainage Crew is currently working on miscellaneous culvert installations and road grade issues. Currently there is a list of 18 projects to be completed prior to winter. The Tech Committee for the new waterline from Cold Lake to Bonnyville will meet again on September 6. Tenders for the project have all closed and the prices are in. The consultants have gone back to the low bidders to ask for as 30-day extension on the award. The committee is waiting for the province to approve additional funding for the project. The contractor has completed the milling on the La Corey North Resource Road Project and paving is scheduled to start the first week of September with completion by October 30.

The Ardmore Underground contractor is working on 49 Street. Rge. Rd. 440 (Esso Road Project) is being paved this week. The Wolf Lake Road contractor is continuing to make progress and has reached the half-way point in the project. The contractor has been hampered by wet weather. Oiled dust controls and the Mg 30 application program will be completed this week. The Ardmore Trail contractor has some deficiencies to address. The M.D. is currently getting some local pricing to complete the landscaping and drainage around the trail. Consultants are working on the Lessard Bridge tender documents and will have the project ready for tender shortly. The contractor has started the replacement work for Bridge File 72618.

#12 Funding Support – Alexander Recreation Society received a $125,000 Capital Grant to renovate the hall’s bathroom and kitchen areas. The total project cost is $320,000, with $70,000 coming from the Society and $125,000 from a provincial Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) Grant. Council agreed to contribute $25,000 from the existing Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre reserves to purchase a used outdoor rink. The Town of Bonnyville will provide the other half of the funding. The cost of the rink is $35,500, with the balance of the
funds to cover installation north of the C2 Centre.

The Ardmore Senior Citizens Club, and the Therien Community League received their $25,000 Annual Operating Grants. The Dupre Community League and the North Shore Heights/Shay Cho Bay Community Society received their $5,000 Annual Operating Grants. The Lakeland Multicultural Association received a Community Action Grant for $2,800 to host the India Film Festival on September 15.

#13 Briefly – Having issues with beavers? Please call 780-826-3951 to report them. Reeve Greg Sawchuk proclaimed Alberta Development Officers Week from September 24 to 28. He also proclaimed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day September 9.

For more information, contact Diane Jenkinson, Marketing and Communications Manager at 780-826-3171. Our website is a useful way to get the information you need. Visit: www.md.bonnyville.ab.ca Follow us at facebook.com/MDBonnyville and Twitter @MDBville.