MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS October 10, 2018
Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!
#1 Lessard Bridge Repair Pushed Into 2019 – The tender release for the Lessard Bridge Repair has been delayed by environmental approvals. The consultants are proposing to release the tender by the first week of November and awarding the contract by the end of that month. Construction should be completed by the end of February 2019. This timeline is dependent on the ability to build an ice berm, and providing all the environmental approvals are completed.
#2 Proposed Trail Sections for 2019 Budget – The Trail Committee has put three sections of trails into the 2019 budget: North Shore Heights to Highway 660; Iron Horse Trail between Range Roads 482 and 485 through Glendon, and paving the staging area by the Beaver River Trestle. Money is in the budget for surveying to be done this year.
#3 Rural Crime Prevention Continues – Officers have increased their presence in areas identified by residents who call in with concerns. Each week, officers receive a list of the areas they should be paying attention to in the upcoming week. The intention is to have a positive impact on rural property crime. Patrols have been increased in the Flat Lake area in response to complaints of suspicious vehicles. The more calls Public Safety gets from residents, the better the department is able to target problem areas effectively. The Rural Crime Prevention officer has been visiting businesses and checking in with residents to offer his services, as well as listening to their concerns about rural property crime. He has started with industrial subdivisions and some hamlets, and hopes to make his way through the M.D. in the coming months. He has been working on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessments and has more community hall meetings scheduled in November and December, and into 2019, which will focus on vehicle theft. Currently Open Houses are scheduled for: Willow Prairie Hall (La Corey) on November 1; Goodridge Hall on November 20 and Cherry Grove Community Hall on December 4. All Open Houses will be held from 7 to 9 p.m.
#4 School Resource Officers Are Now On Instagram – To connect with students, parents and school staff, the School Resource Officers (SROs) have established an Instagram account @mdbonnyvillesro, which is also the Twitter handle. SROs are now booking their time into May 2019. Officers have received numerous requests for drug awareness and internet safety sessions. This year, our SROs are attending suicide awareness training. This concern was brought up as needing more attention during the program’s evaluation process. The training is provided in Edmonton by the Canadian Mental Health Association and Centre For Suicide Prevention. The sessions will help officers to identify any potential signs and subsequently advise appropriate school staff of their concerns. Girls’ self-defense is being taught at Bonnyville Centralized High School for Grades 9 and 10.
#5 Ag and Waste Update – Are you having problems with busy beavers? Give the Ag Department a call at 780-826-3951 and they will send out one of our on-call trappers. Council agreed to extend the 12 acre Agricultural Lease at SW-2-61-9W4 of hay land that had previously been rented to the leaseholder for an additional period of five years, expiring in the fall of 2023. The extension of the contract is the result of the negotiation of clay material the M.D. requires for the construction of the Class III waste cells at the Therien Landfill. October 15 to 21 is Waste Reduction Week. Waste Services staff will be hosting Grade 4 students from three schools at the Ardmore Landfill to discuss waste reduction and recycling. During the past month, the M.D. Waste Supervisor has gone to over 20 classrooms to teach kids about where our waste and recycling goes. The Coyote and Wolf Reduction Program will continue for the 2018-2019 season to help maintain a healthy population of the two species. The program starts October 1, 2018 and runs until March 31, 2019. The Mowing Program is finishing up this week. Most of the roads in the M.D. have been mowed with a second pass and pushed out into the small trees that are encroaching in the ditch. The crews will be going out to pick rocks that mysteriously show up.
#6 Used Pumper Trucks Sold – Council agreed to sell a 2004 Superior Pumper Unit used for M.D. coverage in the Glendon area to the Village of Glendon for $74,033. A second 2004 Superior Pumper Unit used in Fort Kent was sold to the Buffalo Metis Settlement for $71,000. Both trucks are in the Fire Apparatus Replacement Program, with the new units scheduled to arrive in February 2019, at which time the old ones will be transferred to the new owners.
#7 Planning and Development News – In September, 23 Development Permits were issued – 18 Residential Permits, four Industrial Permits and one Recreational Permit – with a year-to-date total of $23,540,171. Year-to-date housing starts include 32 Single Family Dwellings and 10 Mobile Home Units. In September, 84 Plumbing, Gas, Sewer and Electrical Permits were issued. The M.D. has 25 subdivision applications to date. Final Reading was given to LU Bylaw No. 568 to amend Section 32.5 of the Land Use Bylaw to read as follows: “In all districts, an accessory building is subject to the side and rear yard setback regulations of that district, with the exception of: a) Accessory buildings 23.2 square metres (250 sq. ft.) or less in Country Residential Districts, in which case the front and rear yard setbacks shall be a minimum of 3.0 metres (10 feet).” Final Reading was given to Bylaw No.1693, Major Area Structure Plan – Highways 28 and 41. First 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. First Reading was given to Bylaw No. 570 to amend the Land Use Bylaw No. 1667 for cannabis production, facilities and retail establishments. A public hearing has been tentatively scheduled for November 14.
#8 Parks, Rec. and Culture News – The Parks Department is working with the GIS Analyst to create interactive maps for the M.D. website to show ball diamonds, boat launches and playgrounds. Parks staff are doing inspections on all the community hall playgrounds, followed by a letter with a copy of the inspection and a timeline to make any changes if necessary. Work is starting on the Minnie Lake office and change rooms. The Crane Lake East cook shack is being torn down, as it is beyond repair. The area will be seeded with grass to make a larger play area around the playground. There is potential to put in a gazebo in the next couple of years. Parks staff will be assisting at the Fort Kent outdoor arena this year. The Lakeland Cross-County Run was held on the Muriel Lake M.D. Park trails once again this year, with over 1,000 students participating.
#9 Public Safety Update – Officers took action on various complaints of speeding and aggressive driving in the Fort Kent, Ardmore, La Corey North Resource Road, Wolf Lake Road, Dupre and Beaverdam areas. A number of Super B tanker trailers left parked on a M.D. road in the Bonnyville Airport area were moved to a more appropriate storage area. In the Therien area, residents have been calling to complain about a herd of cows that keep leaving the farmer’s land and going onto their property. This is an ongoing issue. The provincial Brand Inspector was notified and looked into the problem. He has spoken to the farmer. The Brand Inspector will need to seek assistance from provincial authorities to lay charges against the farmer should the incidents continue.
#10 Transportation and Utilities Update – Pre-construction meetings with contractors have started for the new water line between Cold Lake and Bonnyville. Land agents are still working on securing the work space and right-of-way for the proposed alignment. T&U staff are changing gears to winter maintenance. Currently four plow trucks are available and staff will be switching more trucks over to sanding trucks as the weather changes. Staff are in the process of putting wings on graders for winter snow removal. The winter sand supply is stockpiled in the yard and is being freeze-proofed this week. The Road Construction Crew is currently half way through completing Township Road 622, where they are encountering issues with a lot of topsoil and wet clay. The Road Oiling and Rip and Relay Crews have completed all projects listed for the year and will now be working on other road repairs prior to freeze-up. The Paving Crew is working on miscellaneous patches and is completing the top lift paving on Twp. Rd. 605, south of the Summer Village of Bonnyville Beach. The base crew will be used for the clean-up of other projects at this time. The four patch trucks are still up and running, and are dealing with pothole issues. The crew will be cleaning up roads prior to winter freeze up. Alberta Environment has granted the M.D. an extension on the Rge. Rd. 454 Drainage Project due to the wet weather that we have been receiving. Goats were pastured at the Country Lane/Countryside Estates Drainage Project. They have now returned to their warm barn, and the human crews have moved back on-site. The drainage ditch on the north side of Countryside Estates will be re-established and a new culvert will be installed on Rge. Rd. 423 to keep the water from the north out of the subdivision storm drainage system. Consultants are continuing to work with Alberta Environment on the Birch Grove Drainage Project. Landowners will get final approvals for the drainage pathway. Crews will be installing two new culverts as soon as the utility locates are completed. The contractor is scheduled to complete the paving of the La Corey North Resource Road by the end of October. The contractor has revised the completion date of the Ardmore Underground Project to the first week of November due to weather delays. The contractor has completed the drainage work and culvert installations on 47 Avenue in Ardmore. The paving will be completed next year. The drainage improvements have been completed on the Ardmore Trail, topsoil work and clean-up of the internal trail network is ongoing. The base paving of the Wolf Lake Road Project will be done in 2019. The contractor has increased the workforce on the site to complete the reconstruction by the end of October. The Crack Sealing Program is completed. The Line Painting Program will be done this week.
#11 Funding Support – Council agreed to contribute $8,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Alberta Winterland Invitational to cover the cost of ice rental. The novice and atom hockey tournament fundraiser will be taking place in Bonnyville, Glendon and Elk Point from February 15 to 18. Between April and September, funding was given to Bonnyville Soccer $500; Bonnyville Minor Ball $1,750 and the Lakeland Cross-Country Run $750.
#12 Briefly – Council is providing letters of support to two local organizations. The first is for the Bonnyville Golf and Country Club to apply for federal and provincial grants to complete the irrigation system replacement. The second is for the Lakeland Industry and Community Association (LICA) to apply for a Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program grant to restore Muriel Creek, Yelling Creek and Barreyre Lake.
For more information, contact Diane Jenkinson, Marketing and Communications Manager at 780-826-3171. Follow us at facebook.com/MDBonnyville and Twitter @MDBville.