News of the Red Deer Region from Feb. 1 to 16, 2006

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NEWS of the Red Deer Region - February 1-16, 2006

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News of the Red Deer Region
snippets and summaries of news reports from local media (primarily Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer Express)
February 2006 Part 1

Feb. 16, 2006
Steven Elm Gets Silver in Team Pursuit
Red Deer native Steven Elm was one of the three Canadian speed skaters who took the Silver medal in Team Pursuit Thursday at the Turin Winter Olympics. The other skaters were Arne Dankers of Calgary and Justin Warsylewicz of Regina. This was the first time this event has been in the Olympics. The Canadian Team won out over Norway in the semi-finals but was out-skated by Italy in the final. The women's Team Pursuit also won Silver with Clara Hughes of Winnipeg, Krista Groves of Ottawa and Christine Nesbitt of London skating against Germany.
Melissa Hollingsworth-Richards Bronze in Skeleton
Eckville and Lacombe native and World Cup champion Melissa Hollingsworth-Richards added the third medal to Canada's total Thursday by coming in third in Women's Skeleton. This is the first time Canada has medalled in this event in the Olympics. Switzerland and Great Britain won the the Gold and Silver respectively.

Feb. 15, 2006
Nabors Spending $15 Million on Expansion in Sylvan Lake
North America's largest land-based drilling contractor, Nabors Production Services, has started construction on the first of two major buildings on 44 acres of land in the Beju Light Industrial Park in Sylvan Lake. Both buildings are expected to be fully operational by the end of next year. The company already has facilities in Red Deer which will be taken over by Nabors subsidiaries once the move is complete.

Feb. 14, 2006
City and County Butting Heads Over Land
It would seem that it's time for the City and the County to review the Intermunicipal Development Plan. When the existing IDP was approved by both Councils in 1999, it was supposed to guide land development around Red Deer well into the future. A booming economy and the resulting rapid growth has caused each municipality to create their own revised growth strategies which, in turn, has taken each municipality in slightly different directions. The City has changed its focus by choosing to expand industrial development to the northwest west of Highway QE2 rather than in the southeast or north. The County, on the other hand, sees the economic potential of developing its own land to take advantage of the high demand for development and has taken an aggressive approach to do so. This has led to some conflict between the two. The County refused to sell land to the City in an area in the northwest the City wants to annex and the City has put the brakes on approving a development in the County just south of the City, each claiming that the proposals do not conform to the IDP. Both municipalities are discussing the City's desire to annex land and an update of the IDP is scheduled for later this year.
Lacombe Proceeding With Centennial Centre
Town Council awarded the contract for the replacement of the Lacombe Memorial Centre with construction to proceed in early spring. The $6 million project is on the edge of the downtown and is designed to compliment the historic revitalized architecture that is a feature of the town centre.

Feb. 11, 2006
Construction Should Start Soon on Red Deer College Expansion
By May of this year, the first phase of a multi-million dollar expansion of Red Deer College should be underway with students using the new facility by the fall of 2007. Phase I includes trades and technology classrooms and labs, an applied research centre for manufacturing, a business enterprise centre and a visual arts area. The new complex will be from 100,000 to 125,000 sq. ft. The project is now called the Building Communities Through Learning complex. The college is also pursuing the granting of its own degrees in the next few years.
Town of Bentley Pursuing New Sports Facility
In order to continue growth in the community, the Bentley Arena Society is pursuing a family-oriented multi-use sports facility for the town in the next five years. Fundraising will begin soon on the anticipated $6 million project. The current arena is 40 years old and built on a natural spring which creates problems periodically.
Gasoline Alley Plan Evolving Quickly
The updated plan for Gasoline Alley was revealed at the County office Saturday, with most stake holders enthusiastically supporting it. The plan has 6 distinct areas to be developed or enhanced -- the highway commercial area, the box store area, 'The Cruise' automobile-oriented street, 'The Promenade' pedestrian-oriented street, a civic institutional area including a school and community centre, and a residential area called 'Creek Crossing Village'. There would also be a car museum established in the south east corner. An ecological area with trails would be established along Waskasoo Creek called the 'Emerald Necklace' greenbelt. McKenzie Road would become more of a local road with the main arterial from Highway 2A entering north of McKenzie, then along Scott Drive extending south beyond McKenzie and west back to Highway 2A. Depending on density, the community could eventually have a population of 5-8,000. The County wants to proceed quickly once the plan is finalized and presented to Council and is willing to spend several million dollars to get the development under way.

Feb. 10, 2006
Vacancy Rate in Red Deer Very Low
Apartments for rent are becoming scarce, especially for those with low incomes. The overall vacancy rate is around one per cent and for bachelor suites even lower. Apartments are not being built in sufficient numbers to meet demand. Many developers prefer to build or convert multiple family dwellings into condominiums as they get a faster return. Some relief is in sight with the current construction of a 95-unit low income housing project.

Feb. 3, 2006
Medical Commercial Development Under Way in Red Deer
The former Red Deer County office site at 49 Ave. and 32 St. will soon be transformed into a commercial strip mall focusing on medical services. Medical offices and related services will primarily occupy the 25,000 sq. ft. new building that should be open this coming fall.
Commercial Construction in Olds Remains Strong
A local building supply business is the latest to announce a major development in the west side of Olds along Highway 27. Leo's Building Supplies wants to team up with Rona to build a 20,000 sq. ft. store as part of another major commercial development in the area.

Feb. 2, 2006
Red Deer Council Passes $128 Million Budget
The average Red Deer homeowner will face a 9.2% increase in taxes as a result of a 1.6% increase in the tax rate and an average 6.2% increase in assessment value. That works out to an average $92 increase for the year on a budget increase of $13 million over last year. A rapidly growing community, increases in energy costs and the corresponding increase in required services in all departments is mostly responsible for the increase. A major overhaul of the Recreation, Parks and Culture Department has also affected the bottom line.
Red Deer Building Permits in January Record for Month
The highest value ever for the first month of the year was recorded at $19.2 million, $700,000 more than the previous January record in 2000. Residential construction doubled over last January. Major permits were issued for an addition to the 67 St. Holiday Inn, and renovations to Piper Creek Lodge and the former Saan store for AMA.

Feb. 1, 2006
Third Carbon Dioxide Recovery Plant Announced
Glencoe Resources and the provincial government have announced the construction of another recovery facility in the Joffre/Prentiss area for extracting carbon dioxide from petrochemical plants before it gets into the atmosphere. It will capture 145,000 tonnes of CO2 per year in addition to two other facilities the company has built in the same area. The liquified gas is piped 80 km north to the company's oilfields near Ponoka where it is injected into aging wells to squeeze out the last oil.
Lacombe County's Plan For Industrial Development near Blackfalds Questioned
Area landowners and the Town of Blackfalds are concerned about plans for industrial development west of Highway QE2 near the Blackfalds/Aspelund Road interchange. The loss of prime agricultural land, traffic problems and water supply are all issues that concern local landowners. Blackfalds is developing industrial land to the east of Highway QE2 and is concerned about the possible negative impact on traffic flow of the proposed change of land use.

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