NEWS of the Red Deer Region - August 1-15, 2007

 
News of the Red Deer Region
snippets and summaries of news reports from local media (primarily Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer Express).
August 2007 Part 1

August 15, 2007
Another Sylvan Lake Development Proposed
A 19-lot residential subdivision is being planned for the summer village of Jarvis Bay on the northeast side of Sylvan Lake. This is the latest of several proposals along the shore. New developments on the lake have to be more environmentally sensitive than older developments but area residents still have some concerns about the effect of more housing on the ecosystem of the lake.
Board Game Teaches Water Preservation
A new board game has been developed for children to teach about the Saskatchewan River Basin, the impacts of growth on the river system and water preservation. The waterways within the basin include the Red Deer, Bow, Oldman and North and South Saskatchewan Rivers. The game called Moopher's Incredible Journey to the Sea involves following a fictional gopher on his journey from the Rocky Mountains to Hudson Bay. It is available free of charge from the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance office.
Home Sales and Prices Decline in Area
The Red Deer and District Real Estate Board Co-op reports that 447 area homes were sold through the Multiple Listing service in July of which 180 were in the city and 267 elsewhere in Central Alberta. In June residential sales totalled 560 and in July 2006 there were 479. However for the seven months year to date, 1,516 sales occurred compared to 1,187 for the same period last year. The median sale price was slightly lower in July than in June but was still much higher than a year ago. The recent trend indicates more balance in the housing market.

August 14, 2007
Deal Preserves Most of Bower Natural Area
Red Deer city council reluctantly approved a compromise deal yesterday that will preserve 17 of 21 acres of the Bower Natural Area south of Red Deer College and west of Taylor Drive. Council chambers were packed at the public meeting prior to the decision with most residents hoping council could find a way to preserve the entire area. The city will spend $2.2 million to buy just over 12 acres from the Bower family. Another 2.8 acres will be purchased for $1 and another 2 acres will be acquired out of municipal reserve that developers must provide. Qualico Developments is purchasing the remainder of the 90-acre Bower land for a large commercial and residential project. The deal is considered the best that could be achieved and is significantly better than the offer to sell 9.5 acres to the city a month ago. The area has been a favourite for naturalists and hikers for several years with permission of the Bower family.
Truck Stop Plans Expansion with Long Term Lease
Grumpy's 24-hour truck stop and restaurant on Highway QE2 near Lacombe has secured a long-term renewable lease with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation who recently purchased the property. The truck stop plans to double the capacity of its 52-seat restaurant, add more washrooms, a store and more parking. The business reports that it has met the standard for a freeway rest stop.

August 13, 2007
Cheese-Maker Can Expand After Appeal
Award-winning Sylvan Star cheese-maker Lac La Nonne Dairy near Sylvan Lake has won an appeal on their expansion plans. Red Deer County's subdivision and development appeal board granted development approval for a 28,900 sq. ft. plant in spite of some opposition from area residents. The County's municipal planning commission had turned down the proposal on June 19. The company can now use all the milk produced on the farm to process it into cheese. Once the new plant is operating, the existing plant will stop production.

August 11, 2007
Repairs Continue One Year After Storm
Some residents in Springbrook, Markerville and Spruce View are still waiting to get repairs done one year after a severe hail storm ripped through those communities. On August 10, 2006, winds gusting as high as 150 km/hr and golf ball sized hail did millions of dollars of damage in the three hamlets and farms in between. There were trees and power lines down in some areas but fortunately no serious injuries. The biggest problem has been getting skilled labour to repair windows, roofs and siding. Most of the work has finally been completed but there are still a few places still waiting. The upside of the storm is that the repaired houses have been rejuvenated and most look like new.

August 10, 2007
Report Suggests High Speed Rail Viable
A government report, set to be released later in the month, apparently suggests that a multi-billion dollar high speed rail line between Calgary and Edmonton with a stop in Red Deer is economically viable. The 300-kim trip from downtown Calgary to downtown Edmonton would take 84 minutes and cost $130 for a round trip. The province recently purchased land for a possible terminal in each of the two major cities.
Truck Stop Purchased by Alberta Transportation
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation has purchased Grumpy's Truck Stop and Wolf Creek Inn on Highway QE2 near Lacombe as part of a program to control access along the highway which will eventually become an uninterrupted freeway. The properties have been leased back to the businesses for the foreseeable future.
Slight Decline in Red Deer Housing Starts
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports that housing starts in Red Deer were down slightly in July compared to June and July 2006. There were 122 housing starts last month consisting of 95 single family and 27 multi-family units. In June there were 129 single family and 12 multi-family unit starts for a total of 141. In July 2006, there were 109 single family and 37 multi-family unit starts for a total of 146. Year to date starts however are still above the same period last year. By the end of July there had been 995 housing starts compared to 801 for the same period in 2006.
Sylvan Lake Infill Housing Could Add 1,000 Units
A developer is proposing an infill project on two sides of the Hewlett Park subdivision in Sylvan Lake that would add more than 1,000 housing units on 57 acres within easy walking distance of the lake. About 40% would be townhouse units and 30% narrow lot single family units. The denser housing would require an amendment to the area outline plan. The proposal also includes 3 acres of neighbourhood commercial, a 4-season park and trails.

August 9, 2007
City Outlines West Industrial Development Plan
The city of Red Deer revealed to the public yesterday its plan for two quarter sections of city-owned land of eight that are currently in the process of being annexed west of Highway QE2. The industrial area to be developed first is Queens Business Park directly north of the Burnt Lake Industrial Park and directly west of the highway. It is also located within the current Red Deer County Burnt Lake Area Structure Plan. The area south of the eight quarter sections is expected to be annexed within the next 10 years.
East Communities Propose Water Transfer
Two water commissions are looking to transfer water from the Red Deer River near Stettler to communities in the Battle River basin. The Shirley McClellan Regional Water Services Commission wants to supply water to communities along Highway 12 from Stettler to Consort. The 12/21 commission wants to provide water to communities along Highway 21 north of Alix, including Mirror, Bashaw and Ferintosh. Together the new projects would draw 7.8 million cubic metres of water per year from the Red Deer River via the Town of Stettler's water treatment plant. Public meetings are being held to get public input on the proposals.
Application Made to Renew Bowden Refinery License
Parkland Income Fund is applying to Alberta Environment to renew the license for the currently closed Bowden Refinery along Highway QE2 in order to maintain its option to reopen the facility in the future. The plant was closed in 2001, two years after a deal was made to sell it to the Blood Tribe of Standoff. That deal never materialized although it is still a possibility. Parkland has been upgrading the facility in preparation for a possible reopening. It was purchased from Shell in 1987.

August 7, 2007
Stettler Train Runs Special for Rail Fans
Alberta Prairie Railway Steam Excursions, in conjunction with the Rocky Mountain Rail Society, held their annual rail fan special on Monday. About 300 people boarded 1920-era steam locomotive 41 in Stettler in the morning for the trip to Big Valley where there were several opportunities to photograph the vintage equipment in action. The trip back to Stettler was headed by the larger 1944-built steam locomotive 6060.
Historic Red Deer Hotel Closes
The historic Buffalo Hotel in downtown Red Deer has closed its doors as a hotel and tavern. It was one of four downtown hotels built in the 1890's close to the railway station. Built in 1892 as the Alberta Hotel, it was partially demolished and rebuilt in 1939. The coffee shop was added in 1959 and renovated in 1965. The new owners plan to use the 43 rooms as affordable housing with the tavern to be converted to a place of worship. The huge buffalo head in the former tavern may be moved to the Red Deer Museum.

August 4, 2007
Young Adults Make Up Largest City Demographic
According to the latest city census, those between age 20 and 29 make up the largest 10-year population segment at 17.5%. Province-wide, young adults in that age group make up only 14.9%. The largest segment in Alberta is in the 40-49 age group at 16.5% whereas in Red Deer only 13.5% are in their forties. The median age in Red Deer is 33 compared to 39.5 in Canada. There is also a shift in gender in that there are now more males than females compared to the opposite in 2004. The second most common language is now Spanish. There are 19,263 single family homes, 7,438 apartment units (mostly located downtown or south hill), 3,447 townhouse units, 2,803 duplexes and 1,097 manufactured homes.
Delburne Annexation Officially Approved
Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing has officially approved the annexation of 480 acres from Red Deer County to the Village of Delburne. One third of the land will be used for highway commercial with the balance to be used for industrial use, 400 residential lots, acreages and an extension to the Fawn Meadows Golf and Country Club.

August 3, 2007
Three Objections Filed Against Proposed Biofuel Plant
Alberta Environment reports that there have been three objections to the $400 million biofuel refinery proposed for north of Innisfail by Alberta Ethanol and Biodiesel GP Ltd. The plant would produce up to 379 million litres of ethanol and an equal volume of biodiesel annually. The complex would include a canola seed crushing plant. Processing the application, which includes having the company respond to the objections, will likely take another month. Once work begins, the plant is expected to take 18 months to construct.
City Hostel Concept Ready for Next Step
A feasibility study suggests that there is sufficient support in Red Deer to proceed to the next step of forming a committee to secure funding and location for a hostel that could accommodate about 50 people. At least 50% of the beds would be used for tourism, the hostel's primary objective, with the balance for transitional housing for people who are working and need time to save money for a place to live. The study suggests that the facility should be located downtown in an existing building close to public transportation.
Buffalo Lake Shore Management Plan Revealed
A year after people who live, farm or vacation shared their ideas about creating a management plan for the public areas around Buffalo Lake, the Buffalo Lake Integrated Shoreland Management Plan has been revealed by the consultants. The primary areas of concern were public access to the lake as well as preserving the health of the lake and the wildlife it supports. A public open house will be held in Erskine on Saturday, August 25 from 10 am to 5 pm.

August 2, 2007
Major City Projects Blast Building Records
Only seven months into the year and the city of Red Deer has already surpassed last year's record total building permit values. With $292 million worth of permits issued to the end of July, the city blasted by last year's 12-month total of $283 million. The Red Deer College expansion generated $42 million in permits last month and the city's civic yard relocation generated an additional $38 million in permits. Prior to July, other major projects added to the total including the first phase of the civic yard relocation at $31 million, the RCMP north station at $7 million, the Sears store at Bower Mall at $6 million, community health centre at $6 million and earlier work on the college expansion at $6 million. Other large projects are expected prior to the end of the year including the $16 million Michener seniors complex and the $30 million downtown office tower. Aside from industrial and public permits that created the bulk of the increased value, residential permits held its own, $23 million ahead of last year to the end of June at $125 million.
Red Deer College Explores Residential Expansion
By 2010 Red Deer College hopes to have 160 more students living on campus. The college is looking for a private partner for the $16-$18 million residential expansion project which would be designed to further expand to accommodate 350 students by 2015. Currently there are 576 student residences on campus.

August 1, 2007
July the Most Sizzling on Record
The average maximum temperature during the month of July in Red Deer was 26.2 C, breaking the previous record set in 1941 of 26.1 C. This was about 4 degrees higher than the historical average temperature for July. Six days registered above 30 degrees but no daily records were broken. The hottest day was July 23 at 31.5 degrees. Total precipitation was 60.2 mm.
Innisfail Plans to Annex 1,600 Acres
A deal has been reached with Red Deer County paving the way for the town of Innisfail to annex 10 quarter sections of land to the north and west of the current boundaries, primarily for residential and industrial development. It is expected to be about a 50 year supply of land that could accommodate as many as 10,000 new homes. The spring municipal census showed a 3.4% increase in population over last year coming in at 7,691. It is hoped that the Municipal Government Board will approve the annexation for January 1.

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