Changes could soon hit the small town of Ponoka if testing of a unique aircraft in England proves successful.
The company World SkyCat UK hopes to put a hovercraft airship hybrid through tests in August with oilsands operators among those involved with the process. The aircraft is planned to transfer heavy equipment and cargo from one place to another without interrupting other rails or areas of traffic.
Michelle Stirling, local associate of World SkyCat UK, believes that this breakthrough could have a positive outcome with Ponoka likely being a major part of this technology.
Rezoning to be discussed at public hearing Sept. 2
A rezoning plan that could affect the future development of the Town of Stettler will now be discussed at length by residents at a Sept. 2 public hearing announced by the town council.
A request by several property owners in Stettler on 47 Avenue to rezone their property by an industrial zone has moved forward under bylaw 1978-08.
At its regular meeting Aug. 5, Town of Stettler council gave first readings to two bylaws to rezone the property south of the railway tracks and to introduce regulations for the direct control urban reserve district.
A public hearing for both bylaws was scheduled for Sept. 2.
Joint office for town and Clearview under review to cut rising costs
At its regular meeting Aug. 5, town council authorized the design-building committee of Mayor Jim Hunter, Councillors Dave Dennis and Dick Richards and town manager Rob Stoutenberg to meet with the architect and project manager Brenex Building Corporation to determine ways to cut costs.
Finalizing the project last winter, Clearview School Division committed to fund a maximum of $2.3 million of the cost that has risen to $5.2 million, including land and engineering, an overall increase from $4.6 million.
With the extra cost, the school division share would be $2.6 million.
The next couple of months will be key to the future of the integrated ambulance and fire service in the city.
The City of Airdrie and the Calgary Health Region are hoping to hammer out a long-term contract that will allow the city to keep its integrated ambulance/fire service intact.
After a May 29 announcement in which the Minister of Health indicated that the province would be taking over all ground ambulance services from municipalities, there has been concern that municipalities with the dual service would be left scrambling for ways to provide both services.
While Airdrie was assured that the integrated service would continue to exist with financial help from the province, Mayor Linda Bruce wants to make sure there is a viable long-term plan and contract.
Slowly but surely the much-needed downtown redevelopment is moving forward.
While Towerlane Mall construction continues to chug along with much more to come, the Old Hotel site sits vacant after contractor issues put the development on the backburner.
"All I know is that it`s been delayed," said City of Airdrie Manager of Planning and Parks Services, Jeff Greene. "The developer is actually undertaking revised plans. The contractor that they hired actually went bankrupt."
The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) has been touring the province to receive feedback on four proposed options for a transmission from Edmonton to Calgary.
The Alberta Utilities Commission is currently gathering information and answering questions landowners have about the transmission route that will be built in 2012.AESO is a non-profit statutory company that will be operating and planning the Alberta Interconnected Electric System to ensure reliable service to Albertans. The system between the two largest centres is needed to meet the growing demand in central and southern Alberta and will reduce periods of peak load transmissions.
Cochrane`s population is growing, but the pace has slowed slightly, according to the 2008 Municipal Census released last week.
Population figures indicated that Cochrane is now home to 14,653 people, a 6.49 per cent increase over the 2006 federal census population figure of 13,760.
Cochrane`s growth has slowed down compared to a 10 per cent increase between 2004 and 2006.
Brenda Romanchuk, municipal clerk for the Town of Cochrane, oversaw the survey and presented the results to council August 11.
The MD of Rocky View has taken the first step towards leasing out two parcels of municipal reserve land near Cochrane.
The two parcels, 15 acres near Bearspaw Loop Road and four acres off Poplar Hill Drive, have been approved by MD council to go to public hearings regarding the Bearspaw Loop Preservation Society`s and the Bearspaw Lifestyle Centre`s proposals for these parcels.
In the public hearings, which have yet to be scheduled, the public will have input on the groups` planned use for the lands. However, the use will still need to be consistent with the MD`s requirements of public use for parks or recreation.
According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Alberta will be responsible for most of this year`s decline in housing starts. The forecast for housing starts will drop 23 per cent which marks the sharpest decline in Alberta housing in 17 years.
However, this decline has yet to have a great affect on sunny Southern Alberta. According to Remax realtor Randall Whiteside the best employment numbers as well as real estate markets are located from Medicine Hat to the Crowsnest Pass. "We just haven`t felt it as much as Calgary," said Whiteside. He believes our low housing price average of around $230,000 compared to Calgary`s $460,000 has made a big difference.
The odds of finding a place to rent in the Crowsnest Pass are as likely as winning the lottery.
Currently, the availability is around one per cent, and renters are having a hard time settling as the Pass deals with a shortage of vacancies.
According to Councillor Dean Ward, older Pass residents used to invest in two to four houses and rent them out. "It`s all supply and demand now," said Ward. "The price of real estate had these owners selling their real estate to weekenders."
Range Road 81 south of Violet Grove is getting paved this year.
John Evasiuk, project manager for Brazeau County, said the job is finally being done after years of applying for provincial grants, which would cover 50 per cent of the costs for the project.
Evasiuk says that although the road is mainly a resource road, there are people who live on it. Those people have been complaining to the County for years about the dust that can be raised up by the constant stream of vehicles running to those resources. Unfortunately the County has not been able to do anything without some help with the funding.
West-end residents are stuck rescheduling ice times for the fall hockey season as the Bill Hunter Arena renovation faces another major setback.
The city has cancelled its contract with Thierman Construction Ltd. after the company fell behind schedule, allegedly due in part to issues regarding quality of workmanship and quality control.
Mike Koziol, general manager of the city`s capital construction department, says the company was issued several warnings and notices of compliance before the contract was terminated.
"We never take this lightly and we always try to work with the contractor," he says.
Edmonton`s Royal Glenora Club will be getting a major facelift in a $16-million redevelopment slated to begin early this fall.
Starting as soon as September, construction crews will begin overhauling the swimming pool, improving outdoor landscaping and making the facility more energy efficient.
"Our membership has told us we have a 50-year-old building that needs upgrades," says Ralph Pollack, general manager for the club.
The highlight of the redevelopment is a state-of-the-art aquatic centre set to replace an aging outdoor pool only open during the summer months. Boasting retractable glass walls and roof controlled by electric motors, the facility will keep users toasty warm in the winter and cucumber cool in the summer.
"It`s a very unique structure," says Pollack. "It will be an incredible environment to swim in."
In fact, most companies within Alberta are weathering the storm of a slumped American economy and high Canadian dollar quite well, said Industry Minister Jim Prentice last week.
Prentice returned to what he called the place of his youth last week and stopped in Edson to meet with company heads, tour a local mill and attend a public dinner.
The former Grande Cache resident and current Calgary Centre-North MP addressed a crowd of area residents and dignitaries Aug. 5 during a supper at the Edson and District Recreation Centre.
He said although the economy in the region had much changed and diversified since his younger years, that he will never forget the lessons he learned growing up in Yellowhead.
"Albertans have an unbridled optimism for this country … and this is something I try to take with me wherever I go."
The final offer is on the table after Fairview town council reviewed the conditions set forth by the MD of Fairview regarding the highly contentious annexation proposal on land directly west of the Dunvegan Inn last week.
The MD`s conditions include addressing drainage issues on the property; the greenhouse property on the southeast side of the property is to remain in the MD`s jurisdiction; the Inter-municipal Development Plan is to be repealed by both municipalities; the economic development officer position will no longer be shared between the two; and that mutual aid agreements be scrutinized intensely for "viability and yield" to both municipalities.
The town has agreed to these five conditions but refuses to budge on the final condition – that the town does not proceed with any more annexations until currently developed land is "properly developed."
Clear Hills agricultural economic disaster: council
On July 31, Clear Hills County council held a special meeting to declare the county "an agricultural economic disaster."
"This comes as the result of the severe drought being experienced, the resulting expected reduction in crop quality and feeding issues being faced related to the livestock industry," a press release dated Aug. 7, explained.
Clear Hills councillor Charlie Johnson said the county made the motion to declare an agricultural economic disaster to get the attention of government ministers because many will be attending the Progressive Conservative Golf Tournament in Fairview on Aug. 20.
It may have seemed to local residents that the twinning of a busy highway had come to a standstill.
But the construction on Highway 21 is back in full swing, with plans for the project to be complete in 2009.
According to Heather McLachlan, spokesperson for Alberta Transportation, construction on Highway 21 will be continuing over the next few months, with an end date set for fall 2009, weather permitting.
The $10 million grating contract was completed last August, with a new contract being awarded to Aecon Construction Materials Ltd. for the remainder of the job.
Blackmore off to B.C. - Sustainable planning focus of six-day trip
Sustainable planning is never easy. Still Ald. Gladys Blackmore aims to find ways to chart the future of the City of Grande Prairie. Blackmore is one of 30 delegates selected from 75 applicants across the country who will take part in a six-day sustainable communities mission in British Columbia. "It`s an opportunity for Canadian municipalities to look at different kinds of things that are happening in the world," said Blackmore. "When I went to Germany the mission was focusing on environmental issues such as water treatment and garbage. This particular one is looking at sustainable community planning. In a nutshell, it means building communities so that they are rather self-sufficient, so you don`t need to drive anywhere." Organized by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the 2008 FCM Sustainable Communities Mission is in its 13th year. Blackmore will join the other delegates to begin the tour Sunday.
You may not have to leave your house to vote in the 2010 municipal election if the province approves a request from the City of Grande Prairie. The general government services committee voted Wednesday to send a letter to the minister of municipal affairs requesting the Swan City be a pilot project site for Internet voting in 2010. The letter will also request that the province consider providing some funding to support the project. City council still has to approve the recommendation, but Mayor Dwight Logan said he expects it will pass.
