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2010
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2009
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2008
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Synopses and Snippets of
Red Deer Regional News
that would be
of interest to residents and visitors, with focus on business, municipal
and community development as well as heritage, culture, attractions,
transportation, recreation and parks, from a variety of resources
including local media, news releases and personal knowledge.
Aug. 6, 2010
New Transit Terminal Opens to Satisfied
Riders
The renewed Red Deer Transit terminal in the downtown beneath the
newly-constructed Sorensen Station parkade opened last weekend after a
year of being relocated at a temporary area two blocks east. Regular
users of the system expressed pleasure with the added amenities and
protection from the outdoor elements. The improved facility has
washrooms, a service centre that will open in September and will have a
kiosk that will offer at a later date beverages and snacks. The 3-storey
parkade above the terminal is expected to open at the end of the month
with 400 parking stalls, 300 of which will be assigned parking and the
remainder hourly parking.
Aug. 5, 2010
Facelift Proposed for Downtown Gaetz
Avenue
A proposal to revitalize the Gaetz Avenue downtown shopping corridor is
intended to attract more shoppers to the city centre by making the
street more pedestrian friendly and visually appealing. People who
attended the recent public open house were very positive about the
concepts presented which included heritage street lights, decorative
street markings, coloured paving stone crosswalks, more trees and less
parking.
Work to Start Soon on Cenotaph Plaza Park
The $1.3 million Veterans' Park will soon be under construction in
downtown Red Deer expanding the area where the cenotaph has stood in the
middle of Ross Street since 1922. The 3,175 kg block of Tyndall
limestone statue of an unknown soldier honours the Central Albertans who
gave their lives in war. The new plaza park will remove two lanes of
traffic that have already been blocked off for two years for the
construction of the 12-storey Executive Place office building. The
project includes installing underground utilities, raising the former
street lanes to sidewalk level, creating six planting areas, planting
trees, adding street furniture, adding a Tyndall stone step and
improving lighting. Most of the construction is expected to be completed
by Remembrance Day with sculptured columns to be added next year. The
soldier monument faces the historic CPR station from which most of the
soldiers left the city for military service.
Olds Starts Planning Business Attraction
Strategy
The Olds Institute for Community and Regional Development and the Olds
and District Chamber of Commerce are leading an initiative to create a
strategy to attract new businesses to the community and maintain those
that already exist. One idea being explored is attracting young
entrepreneurs to the town with an inventory of types of businesses that
could be available in the future. A planning session is expected in the
fall. The development institute is an independent board founded by the
Town, the Chamber, Olds College, the school division, the agricultural
society and Mountain View County.
Canadian Tire Under Construction in
Sylvan Lake
Construction has begun on the new Sylvan Lake Canadian Tire store in the
SmartCentres shopping centre at Beju Industrial Park on the east side of
town. The 60,000 sq. ft. building will also include a Marks Work
Wearhouse store. Once built out, the shopping centre on a 27-acre parcel
will provide 315,000 sq. ft. of commercial space. A Wal-Mart Supercentre
is already open on the site.
New Hotel Project Under Way in Sylvan
Lake
Construction has begun on a new $10 million, 4-storey, 72-room hotel on
Lakeshore Drive in Sylvan Lake. Expected to be ready for guests by May
2011, the hotel features meeting rooms, board rooms, a pool, a jacuzzi
and a breakfast room.
Aug. 4, 2010
Dawe Centre Reopens After 2 Years of
Upgrades
The newly-renovated and expanded G.H. Dawe Community Centre in north Red
Deer opened yesterday after a more than 2-year, $29.9 million renovation
project that includes two new waterslides, a leisure pool, a spray pool,
a steam room and sauna, a new expanded library, improved gymnasium,
expanded fitness area, four multi-purpose rooms and a dance studio.
Improvements were also made to the arena. The renovations added 33,000
sq. ft. to the building, bringing it to 94,000 sq. ft. in total. The
largest recreation complex in the city is the Collicutt Centre in
southeast Red Deer at around 200,000 sq. ft. The official grand opening
is scheduled for Sept. 25.
Red Deer County Adopts River Valley Plan
Red Deer County has adopted the River Valley and Tributaries Park
Concept Plan, adopted by the city last week. The two municipalities
worked on the plan that will guide park expansion, trail development and
recreational areas over the next several years in the growth areas of
the city as well as the areas close to the city. The plan will be used
in conjunction with the Open Spaces Master Plan adopted by the county
several months ago. The Intermunicipal Development Plan adopted by the
city and county 3 years ago called for the establishment of a linear
park system focused on the Red Deer and Blindman Rivers and Piper and
Waskasoo Creeks.
County and Innisfail Enter Joint
Agreement
A joint development plan between Red Deer County and the Town of
Innisfail for land on the east side of Highway 2 and immediately east of
the town will provide shared economic benefits to both municipalities.
The agreement is the first of its kind in the county in which both will
encourage commercial and industrial development in the special zone and
share tax revenue. Lacombe County has similar agreements with Blackfalds,
Lacombe and Eckville.
Building Permit Value Boosted by McDonald
House
A $6.2 million building permit for the $12 million Ronald McDonald House
near the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre has boosted the Red Deer
building permit value for July to $15.2 million compared to $9.4 million
a year earlier. The total permits also included $6 million for
residential construction, $2.7 million for commercial projects and
$220,000 for industrial work. So far this year, a total of $74.9 million
in permits has been approved, up from $68.3 million for the same period
last year.
Aug. 3, 2010
Street Performer Festival Draws Thousands
This year's eighth annual CentreFest street performers festival in
downtown Red Deer drew about 13,000 people on Saturday and another 7,000
on Sunday. About 15 performers from various parts of Canada and as far
away as New Zealand, as well as local performers participated in the
event. CentreFest is put on by the Downtown Business Association with
about 50 volunteers.
RCMP Musical Ride Wows Red Deer and Olds
The world-renowned RCMP Musical Ride performed in Olds on Saturday and
in Red Deer on Sunday to enthusiastic crowds of thousands of people. One
of the 32 riders grew up in Red Deer and he described the crowd as the
warmest on the tour so far including the performance at the Winter
Olympics in Vancouver. Proceeds from the Red Deer show held at the Enmax
Centrium at Westerener Park went to the Central Alberta Women's
Emergency Shelter.
July 31, 2010
Rail Tourist
Attraction Concept
On Track
The Forth Junction Heritage Society proposal for a major tourist
attraction focused on the railways and ground transportation is
gathering interest. This fall, the group intends to meet with various
organizations and launch a membership drive. It will also have a booth
at a large model railroad show at Westerner Park. Other objectives this
year include obtaining charitable status and moving forward with a major
attraction feasibility study. The society's proposal includes a
heritage-retail-entertainment centre for the future redevelopment of
Riverlands west of downtown Red Deer, Canada's largest historical
railway museum, a railway station and transit heritage resort on the
edge of the city and a replication of the Jubilee locomotive that once
headed 'The Chinook', the fast Calgary to Edmonton passenger train that
ran from 1936 to 1955.
Downtown Office
Tower Nears Completion
The $40 million, 12-storey Executive Place office building at the corner
of 49 Avenue and Ross Street in downtown Red Deer is almost finished and
ready for tenants. In addition to a spectacular view from the top floors
of the tallest building in the downtown, the 112,000 sq. ft. structure
has 103,500 sq. ft. of leasable space, underground parking for 100 cars,
3 elevators and state-of-the-art heating and air-conditioning systems.
The developer, Beca International, is actively looking for the ideal
major ground floor tenant that could be a financial institution or
similar business that needs prime location exposure. The top floor would
be ideal for a corporate head office or high-end restaurant and lounge.
B.C. Family Hikes Trans Canada Trail
The Mash family from Langley, B.C. are gradually walking across Canada
along the Trans Canada Trail, two weeks every year at a time since 2002.
Having completed the B.C. sections of the trail, they arrived in Central
Alberta this week as part of this year's Calgary to Blackfalds trek.
Starting in Victoria, they have now walked more than 2,230 km of the
22,000 km coast-to-coast trail system over 89 walking days. They set up
home base at Sylvan Lake and visited several Alberta attractions on
their 'days off'.
July 30, 2010
Ponoka Revises Annexation Proposal
The Town of Ponoka will apply to annex about 980 acres from Ponoka
County on the west and south of the community. In 2008 the town had
proposed annexing parts of 20 quarter sections, more than doubling its
land base. A growth study completed recently indicated that the town
needs about 1,100 acres of land outside its current boundaries to
provide for 50 years of growth, especially commercial and industrial
growth. It is also beneficial for the town to expand westward toward
Highway 2. The new plan is supported by the county and will go to the
Municipal Government Board soon for approval.
July 29, 2010
Plasco Gets Multi-Million Dollar
Investment Boost
A private investment company from Los Angeles has given a $100 million
investment boost to the proposed waste-to-energy Plasco plant in Red
Deer County. The new cash brings the total amount to $270 million
invested in the gasification technology that uses intense heat to
convert municipal garbage into a gas that can generate electricity. The
company is still waiting to hear from Ottawa regarding a $24 million
grant from the Green Infrastructure Fund. Construction on the 200-tonne
per day plant to be built next to the Horn Hill Waste Transfer Site east
of Penhold could begin later this year.
Downtown Mixed-Use Building Gets Approval
Red Deer city council has given approval for the River City
Developments' Elements 5-storey mixed-use building proposed along Gaetz
Avenue between the Red Deer River and the Saputo Foods (formerly Alpha)
dairy plant built in the 1950s on the north side of downtown. The
project includes 12 residential units, nearly 6,300 square metres of
commercial and office space and 254 parking stalls. Plans call for the
closure of the 54 Avenue underpass and the extension west of 55 Street,
likely next year. Meanwhile, Saputo plans to build a new milk receiving
bay that will be more accessible from within plant property so as to not
interfere with the 55 Street extension.
Land Deal Assists Riverside Meadows
Project
Red Deer city council has approved a land sale agreement for the former
Harpers Metals scrapyard site in the Riverside Meadows district on the
north side of the river for a multi-family residential project by
Riverpointe Crossing Ltd. The project will include 24 townhouse units, 4
eight-unit complexes and 3 ten-unit complexes for a total of 86 housing
units. The first phase of the project is required to be completed by the
end of 2011. The site had been cleaned up in 2007 in preparation for a
much larger proposed development but economic conditions scuttled that
plan.
Grain Elevator Artwork Approved for
Museum
A piece of artwork entitled 'End of the Line: Red Deer Elevator Row' has
been approved by Red Deer city council for outside the newly-renovated
Red Deer and District Museum and Art Gallery. The winding seating area
will represent the rail lines that carried grain from the elevators to
other centres and ports. Tall pieces will look like grain elevators to
remind people of the importance of Red Deer's agrarian heritage.
July 27, 2010
Ambitious River Park
Expansion Plan Adopted
The River Valley and Tributaries Park Concept Plan that will expand the
city's park area dramatically over the next 30 to 50 years has been
adopted by Red Deer city council. The plan contains 21 recommendations
that include designating the Red Deer River as a municipal park. As city
growth occurs, the city would extend Waskasoo Park along the Red Deer
River and its tributaries. Park land would grow from the current 2,300
acres by an additional 7,135 acres and expand the 95 km of existing
trails by an additional 358 km. Municipal reserves or land purchases
along the Red Deer and Blindman Rivers as well as along Waskasoo and
Piper Creeks would create environmental buffers along each waterway. The
plan also suggests the creation of 13 park nodes or larger gathering
areas, 8 of which would be more than 99 acres in size. Some would be
active recreation and culture areas while others would be passive
recreation and natural areas. Both the city and Red Deer County created
the plan to identify lands suited for future trails and park space
within Red Deer's future growth area.
July 26, 2010
Record Year for This Year's
Westerner Days
This year's 5-day Westerner Days annual fair and exhibition broke the
record for total attendance at 92,689 people, about 2,000 more than the
previous record set in 2008. Specific day attendance records were also
broken for Wednesday (15,410) and Friday (24,302). Excellent weather,
new facilities and top-notch entertainment contributed to this year's
success. Despite having 580 new parking spaces available this year, on
the busiest days some vehicles had to be parked in the racetrack infield
after the pony chuckwagon races had been completed.
July 24, 2010
Blackfalds Sets Sights on New Recreation
Centre
The Town of Blackfalds is in the initial planning stages for a new field
house as the first phase of a recreation complex on a 12-acre parcel on
the northwest corner of the community. Originally the property was
purchased as an option for the new RCMP building which is now under
construction on a different parcel in the southwest part of town.
Creation of a field house, including an indoor gymnasium and playground,
was among ideas brought forward in a 2008 community needs assessment. A
second phase could include construction of an aquatics centre, once the
town is big enough to support such a facility.
July 23, 2010
Sundre Annexation Gets Provincial
Approval
The provincial government has approved the annexation by the Town of
Sundre of 1,200 acres on all four sides of the town from Mountain View
County. The town, with a 2006 census population of 2,518 and a current
estimated population of 2,700, was about 1,700 acres prior to
annexation. Most future residential growth will occur on the north side
of town. Some of the annexed land will be for highway commercial
development as the town is the junction of Highways 22, 27 and 584. It
is expected that the annexed land will be sufficient for town growth for
the next 20-25 years.
Municipalities Apply For Provincial Flood
Aid
The City of Red Deer and other Central Alberta municipalities including
the Town of Lacombe will apply for provincial disaster aid for flood
victims after heavy rains on July 12 and 13 caused basement flooding of
several homes in the area. Over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain fell at the
Red Deer Regional Airport in that two day period on land that was
already saturated by earlier rains.
Top of page
July 16-31 News
July 1-15 News
Headlines of Archived News Snippets
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Your home.
My business. Your advantage.
Rebecca
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Realtor
403-307-3737
Coldwell Banker OnTrack Realty
Unit G, 2085 - 50 Ave., Red Deer
Serving Red
Deer and Area
Rebecca
Benedict Realtor
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