NEWS of the Red Deer Region - November 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).
November 2007 Part 1

November 15, 2007
Proposed Biofuel Plant Delayed
The proposed $400 million Alberta Ethanol and Biodiesel plant north of Innisfail is not expected to go into production until the latter part of 2009 because of delays in securing necessary approvals. The most significant delay is an industrial permit from the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board. The plant will produce 379 million litres each of ethanol and biodiesel annually and include a canola crush facility. The company has agreed to spend $1 million to improve Highway 2A to accommodate the large trucks that will be turning into the plant.

November 14, 2007
New Housing Proposed for Michener Residents
The Persons with Developmental Disabilities Board, who oversee the 289 remaining residents of Michener Centre, are recommending that the provincial government provide $60 to $85 million for new housing. The proposed housing would be cheaper than upgrading existing residences and could be designed such that they eventually be converted to seniors accommodation. Part of the proposal includes a working relationship with the David Thompson Health Region for certain health services. The current 200-acre north complex will eventually be closed down and the land could possibly be sold to the city for development.
College Expansion Progressing Well
Component 1 of the Red Deer College major expansion project, expected to cost $67 million, is progressing well with the steel skeleton structure almost completed. The current project will house the Centre for Trades and Technology, the Centre for Visual Art, the Centre for Business Enterprise and the Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing, all expected to be completed by January 2009. Component 2 will have a Centre for Regional Sports and Wellness and a Centre for Health Education. Total cost of the entire expansion is estimated at $110 million. So far, the provincial government has contributed $50 million and private donations are up to $10 million.
Joint Area Structure Plan Will Be Largest in Province
The city of Red Deer and Red Deer County are embarking on a $550,000 joint area structure plan that will map growth patterns decades into the future. Covering 140,000 acres around the city except to the immediate south, it is believed to be the largest such plan in the province's history. The plan will identify broad categories of land uses and outline where future roads and services might be located. An extensive public participation process is being planned before the final draft in about nine months. The area to the south will be covered in a separate Gasoline Alley Springbrook area structure plan.
County Wins Award for Gasoline Alley Plan
The Gasoline Alley Liberty Crossing Urban Design concept plan developed by Red Deer County was awarded the 2007 Award of Excellence from the Alberta Association of the Canadian Institute of Planners. The plan won an honourable mention by the national Institute of Planners earlier in the year. The plan outlines how the highway commercial strip and other commercial areas will become the core of the new community of Liberty Crossing consisting of 8,000 people, a town centre, parks, trails and schools.
New Catholic School Opens in Sylvan Lake
Our Lady of the Rosary 11-classroom elementary school has opened in Sylvan Lake with 204 pre-kindergarten to Grade 2 students. Having a capacity of 300 students, Grade 3 will be added next year. An 8-classroom addition is expected to be needed by 2011. The students had previously attended Ecole Mother Theresa School which now has 389 Grades 3 to 9 students.
Entry Level Northwest City Condos Approved
A 148-unit condominium complex consisting of nine 12-plexes and five 8-plexes has been approved by the Red Deer municipal planning commission for Johnstone Park in the northwest sector of the city. Mostly two-bedroom, the units will sell in the $185,000 to $240,000 range. Expected buyers will range from retirees looking for smaller accommodation to young families making the jump from rental properties. The two-phase development, called Johnstone Landing, is expected to begin early next year.

November 13, 2007
New City Industrial Area Site Work Proceeds
Site work has commenced on city-owned land in the process of being annexed from Red Deer County west of Highway QE2 and south of Highway 11A for future industrial development. Queens Business Park will be the first two to be developed of eight quarters sections of land being annexed. A water reservoir is already under construction in the subdivision and an area structure plan is almost complete. Once annexation is approved, expected by the end of the month, the city will immediately move on statutory plans, development and marketing of the business park.

November 12, 2007
Historic Tail Creek Now Administered by Metis
The County of Stettler has officially handed over control of the Tail Creek settlement land to the Metis Nation of Alberta, many descendents of the original settlers. The 31-acre property near Content Bridge over the Red Deer River is now home to a campground and two ball diamonds but no residents. In the 1870's, the site, with a population of 2,000, was the largest Metis settlement west of Winnipeg and three times the population of Edmonton at the time. When the buffalo disappeared, so did the settlement. The recreation area will continue and an interpretive centre is planned.
Chatters Distribution Centre to Open Soon
Red Deer-based Chatters Canada will be opening its new 11,000 sq. ft. headquarters and 15,500 sq. ft. distribution centre in Burnt Lake Business Park currently in Red Deer County in about a month. A second phase, expected to be completed in 2009, will add 26,000 sq. ft. of warehousing. Chatters has a network of 82 hair salon and beauty product outlets, mostly franchises. Another 103 outlets are expected to open by the end of next year.

November 10, 2007
New Innisfail Seniors Lodge Gets $1.3 Million
The provincial government has given a company in Innisfail $1.3 million to help build a new $17 million seniors lodge. The planned facility will have 102 units, including 30 supportive living units, taking the name of the existing 57-unit privately operated Innisfail Country Lodge. It was built 15 years ago, first as a motel, then as seniors condominiums before it became a seniors lodge run by Legacy West Partners Ltd. three years ago. Construction of the new lodge is expected to start in the spring on the same property and once built, the existing lodge may be converted to affordable housing units. The David Thompson Health Region will pay for staffing of the 30 supporting living units.
Average Area Housing Prices Down
The Red Deer and District Real Estate Board Co-op reports that the average selling price of a single family home in Red Deer last month was $339,460, down from the average $370,260 in September. In the surrounding area, the average price in October was $273,352, down from $289,596 the previous month but still up from the average $258,695 a year earlier. The number of sales was down slightly from the previous month. A more balanced market from last year is good for both buyers and sellers reports the board. Most sales were in the $250,000 tp $350,000 range.

November 9, 2007
Open House Planned for Next City Annexation
The City of Red Deer will present its plans to annex 3,960 acres from the county at a December 4 public open house at the 67 St. Holiday Inn from 3 to 8 pm with presentations at 4:30 and 7. Most of the land targeted is on the north and east side of the city with a small portion that includes Heritage Ranch, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the Riverview residential subdivision. The areas were already identified for annexation in the intermunicipal development plan adopted in the summer. There are 166 property owners in the affected area. The city hopes to file with the Municipal Government Board in February and receive a favourable decision in late summer or fall 2008.
Travelaire Diversifies to Include Portable Buildings
Red Deer-based Travelaire Canada Ltd. has created a new commercial division that will construct portable buildings for use as office space in places like construction and well sites. An order for twenty 12 ft. by 60 ft. units has already been received. The division may later expand to include modular classrooms for use anywhere in the world.
Red Deer Housing Starts Drop From Last Year
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. has reported that work was started on 61 single detached houses in Red Deer last month as compared to 120 in October 2006. Year to date, starts have totalled 873 as compared to 904 for the first 10 months of last year. There were no starts on multi-family units in October as compared to 18 a year ago. However there have been 485 multi-family unit starts year to date as compared to 288 for the same period in 2006. Total housing starts for the year to October 31 are still ahead of last year.

November 8, 2007
Realtors Donate $250,000 to Hospice
The Central Alberta Realtors Charitable Foundation, a project of the Red Deer and District Real Estate Board, recently presented a cheque for $180,000 to the Red Deer Hospice Society and pledged an additional $70,000 over the next five years. It is believed to be the largest gift ever to be given by any real estate board in Alberta. The hospice society will put the money into a managed fund operated by the Red Deer and District Community Foundation with the interest used to augment day-to-day operations of the hospice.

November 7, 2007
Lacombe County Offers Regional Plan
The area from Lacombe south to the Blindman and Red Deer Rivers and around Blackfalds is covered by the proposed Lacombe/Blackfalds Rural Fringe Area Structure Plan, developed by Lacombe County to guide future development between the two towns. The plan favours cluster residential development in rural areas to preserve tree stands, wildlife corridors and other natural features. It also suggests that the area around Blackfalds Lake should remain agricultural due to the presence of CN rail around the lake. Once public input is reviewed, the plan will go to county council for approval.
Oil Servicing Company Moving Head Office to Red Deer
Diversified Industries of Sidney, B.C. with operations in Edmonton is moving its head office to Red Deer after acquiring 40% of the shares of Red Deer-based CFR Chemicals. The company specializes in the development and commercialization of chemical products used in the oil and gas sector and other industries. Its lead product is a "hydrogen sulphide scavenger" that can sweeten sour gas and oil. The move should be completed by the end of the month.

November 6, 2007
New Curling Club Site Supported by City Council
Red Deer City Council is supporting Red Deer Curling Club's bid to build a $4-6 million 16-sheet curling facility on vacant provincial land south of 55 St. on the east side of the Michener Centre grounds. The club hopes to start construction in the spring with completion in the fall of 2008. An offer to sell the existing curling rink to the Red Deer Tennis Club for an indoor tennis facility is already being entertained.
Possible Rural RCMP Move to Blackfalds on Hold
Negotiations for the possibility of the RCMP moving its rural headquarters from Red Deer to Blackfalds is on hold until the town reaches a population of 5,000. When that milestone is reached, the town will have to pay towards its own policing. The 2007 municipal census indicated that the town is currently at a population of 4,843. Blackfalds represents about 25% of the population that Red Deer RCMP serves. It polices about 2,000 sq. km. including Springbrook, Clive and Tees. The town will also have the option of having its own police force or contracting another police force such as Lacombe.

November 5, 2007
Sylvan Lake to Take Over 2 Provincial Highways
Provincial highways 11A and 781 that run through the town of Sylvan Lake will soon become the responsibility of the town resulting in better maintenance and better lake quality. Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation will pay the town $3.3 million to upgrade the roads and improve storm water management as part of the transfer agreement. Currently storm water and snow melt from the street runs into the lake but new curbs and gutters will direct the storm water into an improved system. Part of the upgrade will include the relocation of Lakeshore Drive and removal of street parking. A shuttle service may also be started. Eventually the town will also take over the provincial park within the town as part of lakefront redevelopment and additional green space.
City Cultural Master Plan Reviewed by Cultural Leaders
Several individuals from the cultural and tourism community as well as local officials met on Saturday to review and discuss the progress of the city's culture master plan developed six years ago. A steering committee will host an open house in the spring and conduct interviews to determine priorities of the community. Several themes emerged from the workshop ranging from musical theatre to bike paths and tourist destinations. Ideas included more involvement with downtown projects and designating Rotary Park as a cultural hub.

November 2, 2007
Office Tower Pushes Up City Building Permit Values
A $27 million permit for a 12-storey downtown office tower by Beca International pushed the October city building permit value to $45 million and boosted the year to date total to almost $403 million, well ahead of last year's total for the first 10 months at $216 million. Another major permit was issued for a $7.4 million 95-unit apartment building in Lonsdale. The city issued 187 residential permits in October for a value of $15.7 million compared to $12.4 million in the same month a year ago.
CMHC Predicts Drop in Housing Starts and Sales
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is predicting a 10% drop in housing starts in Red Deer in 2008. They are projecting 1,700 this year, compared to 1,429 in 2006 and predicting 1,525 in 2008. For single detached homes, CMHC is projecting 1,125 starts this year compared to 1,095 in 2006 and predicting 1,050 next year. For multi-family units, they are projecting 575 this year compared to 334 in 2006 and predicting 475 in 2008.

November 1, 2007
Red Deer Historical Buildings to be Photographed
Homes and businesses in the city that are more than 50 years old will be photographed over the next few weeks as part 1 of the Red Deer Historical Site Survey. About 450 selected buildings are expected to be documented including the areas of downtown, Parkvale, Waskasoo, West Park, Riverside Meadows (formerly north Red Deer), Michener Hill, Grandview, Mountview and Fairview. Much of old Red Deer was demolished to make room for growth from the 1950's to 1980's. Part 2 of the project will investigate whether the documented buildings have historical value. A similar survey will be done in Red Deer County.

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