M.D. of Bonnyville Council Highlights

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS November 14, 2018

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

M.D. Purchases Vezeau Beach Campground and Shaw House – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council approved the purchase of the Vezeau Beach Campground and Shaw House from the Lakeland Sports and Recreation Association for $1, with future facility improvements to be decided upon during budget discussions. The Town of Bonnyville has agreed to include their portion of land in the sale. Council believes that the M.D. has the expertise to operate and maintain the campground.

Lessard Bridge Tender Released – The M.D. has received approvals from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to move forward with the reconstruction of the Lessard Bridge. Tenders will be released this week, with a closing date of December 3. Currently there is a projected completion date of April 15, 2019.

Regional Aquatics Centre Feasibility Study Approved – In partnership with the Town of Bonnyville, M.D. Council agreed to fund a Regional Aquatics Centre Visioning and Feasibility Study to a maximum of $30,000 each. The study will look at the costs, design concepts and funding for the construction of a new pool attached to the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre. In their research, the Aquatics Committee (composed of members from the community at large, as well as Council representatives from both municipalities) stated that the C2 Centre was the best location for a new pool based on operational cost savings.

Regional Waterline – The Regional Waterline from Cold Lake to Bonnyville is scheduled for completion in March 2020. The project is split into four contracts. The first is for the transmission line from the Cold Lake Water Treatment Plant to the new transfer station on the south side of the city. The second is the construction of the new transfer station. The third is for the upgrades to the water treatment plant in Cold Lake. The fourth is for the remainder of the transmission line from the new transfer station to Bonnyville. The province has approved the additional funding required for the project, totaling $76,022,860, which is approximately 91.29 percent of the total estimated costs of $83,277,927. The cost to the M.D. is $1.4 million earmarked in the 2018 budget. Additional funds for the service line and replacement tie-ins has been identified in the 2019 interim budget. Work has started on the second contract. Contracts one and four will be starting this week with two crews in approved areas. Work on the third contract is starting with the ordering of materials and arranging storage and accommodations. Land agents are dealing with the last few remaining property owners for approvals. Alberta Transportation has granted approvals to work within the Highway 28 right-of-way. Low flow water connections at the property line have been offered to landowners who have negotiated with the commission.

Crime Prevention Meetings – A meeting will be set up with representatives from the Bonnyville and Cold Lake RCMP, Reeve Greg Sawchuk, CAO Luc Mercier and Director of Public Safety Chris Garner to discuss crime prevention partnerships. There has been an increase in thefts in the hamlets of Ardmore and La Corey that Council wants to see resolved. Council will also be inviting the two new Staff Sergeants from the local detachments to make a January presentation to Council. M.D. Council would like to see more of an RCMP presence in the rural area.

Regional Solid Waste Management Strategy – Council agreed to attend a regional meeting in January hosted by Lac La Biche County to look at a regional solid waste management strategy. Council believes there may be cost savings with a regional strategy which would include surrounding municipalities, Metis Settlements and First Nations.

Glendon Rec Committee Approaches Council For Funding – Members of the Glendon Green and G.O.L.D. (Glendon Outdoor Leisure Development) Project Committee made a presentation to Council on November 7 to ask the M.D. to partner on the $781,131 project. Council agreed to provide the services of the M.D. Grants Coordinator to assist with the funding search. A meeting will be set up with representatives from Northern Lights Public Schools to discuss the project. The G.O.L.D. Committee is proposing to construct an athletics field at Glendon School containing an eight-lane shale track, two baseball diamonds, long jump, triple jump, soccer/football field, beach volleyball, outdoor basketball, tennis, pickleball, shotput, discus, javelin, high jump and pole vault areas. The goal is to build a centralized facility for seasonal sports events that both the community and school can utilize.

Transportation and Utilities Update – The winter season has arrived. Currently eight plow trucks are available and twelve graders have been outfitted with wings for snow removal. Night shift has started, and roads will be monitored in the off hours to keep the public safe and to identify issues on roads with higher traffic volumes. This week, plow trucks and 550s will be plowing cold mixed roads and hardship driveways as things have frozen to the appropriate hardness. Road patching trucks are done for the season. The Road Construction and Paving Crews have wrapped up for the season. La Corey North Resource Road is completed. The contractor is replacing a few delineators and doing some guardrail repairs along the roadway. ATCO has completed the lighting installation on the Highway 28 Underground Trail Crossing. The contractor has completed the Ardmore Underground contract. The contractor has completed the road surface on the Wolf Lake Road. Ditch cleanup is ongoing. Some deficiencies were noted on the project and the contractor will be accountable for them in the spring. M.D. crews will be doing a culvert installation on the roadway pending approval from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and that approval for a borrow source on Crown land is granted.

M.D. Drainage Projects Progressing – Alberta Environment has inspected the Range Road 454 Drainage Project and is pleased with the progress. Some small deficiencies with rip rap and rock checks are being addressed and the final report is being done. The Country Lane/Countryside Drainage project is progressing. A 900mm culvert for the diversion of water from the north has been installed on Rge. Rd 423. Ditching will be completed as soon as the Telus fibre optic line is lowered. An additional culvert is scheduled to be installed on Township Road 632 near Site Energy to send additional water from the north side of the road to the south. Consultants are still waiting on pricing for the manhole redesign work that will allow water to flow more freely. Consultants are working with Alberta Environment and landowners to get final approvals for the drainage pathway on the Birch Grove Drainage Project. Crews will be installing two new culverts as soon as utilities are exposed and relocated to accommodate the work. Notification has been given to Alberta Environment that the existing pipe to Moose Lake will be decommissioned after November 5.

Planning and Development News – In October, 29 Development Permits were issued – 23 Residential permits, two Commercial, one Industrial and three Recreational permits – with a year-to-date total of $25,167,453. Year-to-date housing starts include 33 Single Family Dwellings and 12 Mobile Home Units. In October, 134 Plumbing, Gas, Sewer and Electrical permits were issued. The M.D. has 29 subdivision applications to date. Final Reading was given to Bylaw No. 1696 for the lease and closure for the W of SW 20-59-5-W4M and E of SE 20-59- 5-W4M for grazing of rodeo stock. Final Reading was given to Bylaw No. 570 to amend the Land Use Bylaw No. 1667 for cannabis production, facilities and retail establishments. Second Reading was given to Bylaw No. 1669 for new Fees For Services, Licenses, Permits or Approvals for the M.D. The fees were reviewed to reflect the mean average of all municipalities in the surrounding area. The Planning and Development Department is striving to have development pay for development. All permit fees should have the intent to cover all inspection costs for the Safety Codes Officers. Councillors will review the bylaw, with final reading expected to be given on November 28. First Reading was given to Bylaw No. 1697 for the County of St. Paul and M.D. of Bonnyville Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP). First Reading was given to Bylaw No. 1698 for the Lac La Biche County and M.D. of Bonnyville IDP.

Parks, Rec. and Culture News – Winter is coming to Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort – although a little slower than staff would like. Snowmaking began last week after a couple of equipment breakdowns slowed the process down. Kinosoo Ridge is slated to open on December 1. School bookings have increased this season at the hill, with December and January almost booked up. The Ridge enhanced their training program this year with an online lift operator course enabling them to train more staff at a lower cost. Parks staff are installing up to three cameras at Cold Lake M.D. Park to deter vandalism. Staff are installing signs on the Ardmore Storm Pond Trail and investigating lighting options. The Parks Crew has switched over to wood processing and snow clearing priorities. They are currently clearing the paved walking trails. The bobcat blade and brush are working well, although sanding may be required. Trail stop signs on 611A were replaced due to vandalism. Signs are being installed on the Muriel Lake M.D. Park trails. Summer preparations are underway as well. Environmental Design Associates (EDA) are looking at a potential mooring system for the lakeshore site at Kinosoo Ridge, as well as docking systems for Crane Lake and the Vezeau Beach boat launch. The consultants will follow up with a report that outlines existing conditions, operations assessment, best practice review and an inventory/analysis summary report. A Fire Smart procedure is being implemented within the M.D. Parks, with Crane Lake, Cold Lake and Wolf Lake being the priorities due to a fungal disease that drains pine trees of all their moisture.

Public Safety Update – Officers have checked on a number of suspicious vehicles over the last few weeks. Some concerns have appeared to be valid as the vehicles flee from the area when officers arrive. Others, such as hunters and actual residents, have been legitimate. Officers have taken action on a number of dog complaints – dogs running loose, chasing livestock and one dog that went on a property where another dog lived. Officers followed up on a “jake brake” complaint, which ended up to be a situation where multiple tickets were issued for not using tarps to secure a gravel load and being overweight. Officers took action on a complaint from a grader beat operator who was dealing with a large amount of dirt and debris dumped on the roadway. In this situation, a written warning was issued to a resident who stated he had done his own digging next to the road for drainage purposes. Officers are monitoring a municipal road east of Highway 897 in Ward 6 for speeding trucks and other vehicles that cause a hazard for the school bus.

Funding Support – Lessard Community Centre and the Beaverdam Community Society received their annual $25,000 Operating Grant. At the November 7 meeting, M.D. Council agreed to provide one load of gravel, one load of sand and 100 tonnes of asphalt millings to the Bonnyville Seed Cleaning Plant to assist with the ongoing upgrades to the facility.

Briefly – Council Meetings for November 21, December 19 and 26, as well as January 2, 2019 were cancelled due to conference conflicts and holidays.