MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS August 26, 2020
Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!
#1 Free Business Registration Program – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council agreed to implement a free, online business registration program to be administered by Legislative and Information Services. This will give the municipality the ability to have open lines of communication with the business community operating in the M.D., help promote economic development and enhance business operations.
#2 Budget 2021 Deliberations – Council will begin the 2021 Budget Deliberations on September 22, with additional meetings on the 24 and 30, as well as October 19. Council will spend time on September 8 developing the 2021 Road Priorities List before budget deliberations begin. Public consultations are scheduled for November 2, 4 and 9, with locations to be advertised later in the fall. Council is required to adopt an operating and capital budget on an annual basis, as well as a three-year operating plan and a five-year capital plan.
#3 Roadside Brushing Tenders – Council awarded the following Roadside Brushing Tenders: Site A – Flat Lake Area (17.7 km) to Clean Harbours for $195,000; Site B – Lessard Area (20.9 km) to Clean Harbours for $145,000 and Site C – Cherry Grove Area (20.5 km) to Pevach Corp. for $184,000. An additional $41,000 will be reallocated within the 2020 Agriculture Service Board (ASB) Budget to complete all 59.1 km of the 2020 Brushing Program.
#4 Vezeau Beach Campground Improvements – Council agreed to resurface the Vezeau Beach Parking Lot with level course hot mix asphalt, then finish with a 120mm resurface of hot mix asphalt for a cost saving of $45,000. The overall budget for the Vezeau Beach improvements is $1.5 million.
#5 Developing A Fire Apparatus Cost Analysis – Council accepted the Terms of Reference to complete a Cost Analysis of Fire Apparatus in the M.D. A qualified team or candidate, will be hired to conduct a fire apparatus lifecycle that maximizes the life of fire equipment and trucks. Currently the M.D.’s fire apparatus is on a 15-year replacement program that does not take into account the number of hours on pumps, engines, usage and repair, and maintenance of units. A new fire apparatus lifecycle program will maximize the usage of the equipment, and provide an effective fire service as the apparatus must meet industry standards for equipment maintenance, lifecycle and safety. Administration will return to Council in late October with the Request For Proposal bids.
#6 Beaver Control Program – Staff are anticipating a busy fall working with the Landowner Incentive Program to reduce the presence of beavers. Four pond levelers and three beaver exclusion fences have been installed at various locations to reduce the number of times staff have to go back to the same site. Pond levelers will be installed at a few additional locations. The Pest Officer has trapped 146 beavers out of M.D. rights-of-ways since May 2020. There has been a significant decrease in the amount of blasting staff have done this year due to the fact landowners are being charged for services that require removal by dynamite.
#7 Agriculture Services Update – Provincial Water Act approvals and federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) approval was granted August 6 for Phase I of the Muriel Creek Restoration Project. The Environmental Assessment Phase II was also completed. Water Act approvals and code of practice notification for Phase II was sent out August 12, and the Environmental Coordinator is currently working on the DFO request for review process. Staff have opened beaver dams along the creek. There have been 1,848 Weed Inspections completed this year. Staff are working with industrial sites to get the weeds cleaned up. Clubroot, Fusarium and Bertha Army Worm inspections are complete, with a couple of suspected Clubroot samples being sent in. The Pest Officer is wrapping up rat inspections along the eastern border of the M.D. The Roadside Vegetation Spraying Program will be completed in September. The second pass of the Roadside Mowing Program is being done on all arterial and collector roads. The contractor has started bridge and guardrail mowing and should be completed by early September. Staff have been conducting tree diagnosis for pests and diseases and have reached out on social media for resident assistance.
#8 Waste Services Update – The Ag Plastics Recycling Pad has been completed at the west end of the Public Works shop yard. The Meadow View Bin Site has been rebuilt and finished with recycled asphalt to test the longevity of the material. Signs have been installed outlining the items accepted for the two-year Electronics Recycling Expansion pilot project. The Hydrovac Facility Feasibility Study tender closed August 17 and the project was awarded to Tetra Tech. The study will be completed by September 22. Parkland GEO completed the environmental testing and design plans for the Class 3 Landfill cell expansion at the Ardmore Landfill to have two waste cells completed in phases. The Riverhurst Bin Site Survey will be sent out within the next two weeks. Security funds have been received for the landfill site on which the Marie Lake Bin Site is situated. Now, Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) has everything they need for confirmation of approval for the M.D. to begin the site expansion. The paving of the Muriel Viewpoint Bin Site will be done at the end of August.
#9 Parking Lot Paving – Council approved the unbudgeted expenditure of $200,000 to complete the paving of the parking lot located at 4902-51 Avenue, behind the main M.D. administration building. The project will be funded from Cashflow Reserves. Electrical services will be included in the construction of the parking lot, with the addition of an area for larger trucks and trailers to park. Paving will be done in-house by the Infrastructure Services Department.
#10 Public Safety Update – Officers responded to requests by the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority to provide traffic control at two separate Motor Vehicle Collisions. Officers responded to a number of complaints including commercial vehicles, trespassing complaints in Ardmore and the Chicken Hill Lake area, parking complaints at the Crane Lake campgrounds, and several loud party and noise complaints in various M.D. campgrounds. Officers inspected and acted on nine unsightly property complaints. There were 16 dog complaints, with one dealing with an aggressive dog. In July, officers continued to patrol business properties where there is reduced activity due to COVID-19 mandatory shut downs and the oilfield slow down, with 77 patrols conducted. Officers provided 79 Vacant Home Checks, completed 520 General Crime Prevention Patrols and conducted 67 Targeted Crime Prevention Patrols.
#11 Regional Waterline Update – On August 12, Council approved allocating $2,015,000 from Cashflow Reserves in the event the provincial government declines to fund the recent project cost overages on the Bonnyville Regional Waterline Project. Council also approved accepting the Bonnyville Regional Water Services Commission’s request to have the M.D. provide operational services for the regional waterline up to the Town of Bonnyville’s border. Council approved the addition of one full-time Infrastructure Services employee to assist with this additional workload.
#12 Drainage Construction Update – On August 12, Council approved the unbudgeted expenditure in the amount of $400,000 for the enhanced Beaver River and Range Road 454 Drainage and Erosion Control Project to be funded from Infrastructure Reserves. Council also directed Administration to bring additional design options for the Sunset Beach Road Construction and Stormwater Management Project back to Council.
#13 Briefly – Council approved Revision 7 of the Bonnyville Regional Airport Capital Works plan as presented, and directed Administration to proceed with the final design and tender package. Revision 7 shows the east taxiway aligned straight and the south taxiway connecting with the east taxiway and runway at 90 degrees. Council awarded the $28,500 contract to conduct a feasibility study to supply potable water to the Hamlet of Cherry Grove to CIMA+ Canada. Costs are funded from 2020 Unrestricted Reserves. Council approved the $37,840 contract to conduct a feasibility study for Bulk Septage Hauling to AECOM with the costs to be funded from 2020 Unrestricted Reserves. Council agreed to participate in the annual North East Muni-Corr Golf Tournament on September 14, to help raise funds for the Iron Horse Trail, at a cost of $60 a player.