NEWS of the Red Deer Region - December 16-31, 2007

 
News of the Red Deer Region
snippets and summaries of news reports from local media (primarily Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer Express).
December 2007 Part 2

December 31, 2007
Blackfalds Independent Grocery Store Expands
Blackfalds Family Foods is undergoing a $1.2 million expansion that will increase the size of the grocery store from 10,000 sq. ft. to 17,000 sq. ft. Steel is already in place and the expansion should be completed by April or May. The owner also plans to expand his 3,000 sq. ft. First Choice Foods store in Penhold.

December 29, 2007
New Subdivision Could Double Bowden's Population
Bowden town council has approved an area structure plan for the Destination Green neighbourhood which will include nearly 400 homes on 52 acres on the south side of town, adjacent to the golf course and between Highways QE2 and 2A. The six-phase development could nearly double Bowden's population of 1,200 over the next five years. The plan includes 108 single family homes, 33 narrow lots, 154 apartment suites, 89 townhouses, 36 duplex units and a neighbourhood commercial area. The first phase is expected to start in the spring.

December 24, 2007
Potential of City Downtown Residential Development Promoted
The incoming president of the Red Deer Downtown Association, Paul Harris, is promoting the idea that more residential development in the downtown area would increase its potential. He also wants to see more commercial development, creative uses of underutilized space and increased use of civic space. In the meantime, the Greater Downtown Action Plan adopted by the city in 2000 is currently being updated in partnership with the downtown association.
Century-old City Stately House Restored to Former Glory
Red Deer lawyer Bruce Buckley, who has sat on the city's heritage preservation committee and museum society and was looking for a character space for his solo law practice, has purchased and restored to its former glory the stately two-storey Manning house built in 1905 in the Parkvale district on the edge of the city's downtown. The original owner founded the town of Delburne and a later owner, Camille J. LeRouge, had a school named after him.

December 21, 2007
Governments Provide $6 Million for Penhold Multiplex
Federal Member of Parliament Bob Mills and local MLA Luke Ouellette, provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, announced that the two governments will be providing $6 million toward the first phase of the Penhold regional multiplex proposed for the northeast corner of the town. It will include a regulation size rink, seating, dressing rooms, a walking track and multi-function room. The town will provide $3 million to get the project under way. Construction is expected to start in 2008 and be completed in the fall of 2009. Future phases will include a library, lobby, meeting rooms and a gymnasium.  Once completed, 25,000 users per year are expected to use the $19.4 million facility. Outdoor facilities are also included in the plan as well as a proposed location for the new regional high school that the town is attempting to attract.
Governments Provide $6 Million for Springbrook Infrastructure Upgrade
Federal Member of Parliament Bob Mills and local MLA Luke Ouellette, provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, announced today that the two governments will be providing $6 million toward the upgrade of the 55-year-old water, sanitary sewer and storm systems in Springbrook, including the Harvard Park business area and the Red Deer Regional Airport. The new lines are expected to increase capacity and last for the next 100 years. Construction of the project is expected to get underway in the spring and take a few years to complete.
Two County Industrial Parks Move Forward
South of Red Deer, two industrial parks in Red Deer County are preparing to move forward with construction in 2008. Servicing has been completed on Phase 2 of Clearview Industrial Park with construction expected to start there in the spring. The first phase east of 40th Ave. extension is largely sold out. South of Clearview Industrial Park will be the 157-acre McKenzie Industrial Park of which the first phase has had first grading work done.
Sylvan Lake Shopping Centre Replaces Proposed Hotel
A $6.4 million 98-suite Ramada hotel with a water park proposed for the Beju Business Park in east Sylvan Lake has been cancelled as a result of the proposed $20 million Wal-Mart supercentre, part of a larger shopping centre to be built at the same location.

December 20, 2007
Engineering Begins on Olds to Red Deer Sewer Line
Detailed engineering work valued at $6.5 million is set to begin on the long-awaited regional sewer line between Olds and Red Deer. The system includes the communities of Penhold, Innisfail, Bowden and the counties of Red Deer and Mountain View. Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation is funding 90% of the project. Pegged at $67 million a couple of years ago, the actual construction of the line is expected to be much higher now. The plan is to tie the line into the Red Deer water treatment plant. Red Deer already treats waste water from Penhold, Springbrook and Gasoline Alley  through the Waskasoo Regional Sewer System. Construction of the new line could start as early as late 2008 and be completed two years later.
Province Provides $1.2 Million to Red Deer SPCA
A $1.2 million grant from the Alberta Major Community Facilities Program, a two-year lottery-funded plan that gives out money for public building projects, has been presented to the Red Deer and District SPCA. Construction on the $3.6 million, 12,300 sq. ft. Animal Welfare and Humane Education Centre is expected to start in the spring and be completed eight months later. The SPCA has already raised another $1.2 million and is working on raising an equal amount over the next few months. The city of Red Deer has approved a $1 million loan to allow the project to begin. The current shelter is a 30-year-old service trailer.
Norglenwold Gets $1.6 Million for Sewer System
The federal and provincial governments have contributed $1.6 million toward a $3 million wastewater collection system for the Summer Village of Norglenwold. The funding will allow 141 households next to Sylvan Lake to replace their septic fields with a centralized sanitary system that will connect to the town of Sylvan Lake. The long-term vision for the lake includes a regional wastewater system collecting from all communities around the lake. Construction is expected to start in 2008 and be completed the following year.

December 19, 2007
Rising Costs Delay Michener Seniors Complex
Rising costs have forced the David Thompson Health Region to apply to the provincial government for more funding for the now $65 million Michener Hill seniors complex that will include 220 nursing home beds and 60 supportive living beds. The nursing home beds will replace 218 beds at Valley Park Manor and Red Deer Nursing Home. The 3-storey, 221,000 sq. ft. complex will have eight wings extending from a central area with an atrium. Amenities will include an auditorium, bistro, dining room, chapel, salon, store, rehab space and child day care. Construction is now expected to start in the spring. A $148 million Medican condo complex linking with the seniors complex is also expected to start in the spring.
Plasco Gasification Plant Open Houses Planned for January
A series of open houses around Central Alberta are being planned concerning the proposed $90-$100 million Plasco gasification plant to be constructed in Red Deer County as early as next year. The Central Waste Management Commission, consisting of 15 communities, signed an agreement with Plasco in October. Plasco intends to use a patented heat technology process to convert garbage into gas that can be used to generate electricity. Open houses will be held in Red Deer, Innisfail, Sylvan Lake, Lacombe and Alix.
Town of Lacombe Passes 2008 Operating Budget
Residents of Lacombe can expect an average 5% increase in taxes in 2008 as a result of town council passing its operating budget for the coming year. The budget includes the hiring of a few more staff and a 5% raise for employees and council. Utility fees will also increase by 5%.
City Hands Out $7 Million for Low Income Housing Projects
More than $6.5 million in provincial government grants has been handed out by the city of Red Deer for low income housing projects. The largest grant of $4.5 million was awarded to Potter's Hands Developments toward a new 60-unit affordable housing apartment project. Shining Mountains Living Community Services received $1 million toward the purchase of a 12-unit Riverside Meadows apartment building to be used primarily for aboriginal women with children. Three other groups also received some funding. In addition, another half a million dollars of federal government grants was distributed among four groups.
Another City Affordable Housing Project Approved
Red Deer city council has approved the construction of seven townhouse units to complete the affordable housing site in Convent Park north of the downtown. A 95-unit apartment building has already been constructed on the site. Affordable housing units typically rent at 30% below market levels. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.

December 18, 2007
Plan and Zoning for New City Industrial Land Approved
Red Deer city council gave final approval yesterday to area development plans and land use zoning for the new Queens eco-industrial park consisting of 8 quarter sections west of Highway QE2 and south of Highway 11A. Walking trails will be constructed through the subdivision and industries will have to build with energy efficiency in mind. Companies will also be encouraged to look at ways of using each others byproducts. Mud from the natural wetlands, laden with seeds and roots, will be removed and replanted in the created wetlands to help them naturally generate.
Mostly Positive Comments on Canal Concept
The Red Deer Chamber of Commerce reports that it has received 40 comments about the idea of building a series of water-filled canals as a tourist attraction on land to be vacated by the city yards between Taylor Drive and the Red Deer River. The city is updating a plan on how to develop the Riverlands which includes the proposed canal site. About 30 of the comments were positive, 7 were concerned with cost and environmental impact and 3 were neutral. The Chamber's next step is asking the city to request funding from the provincial government for completing a feasibility and engineering study for the proposal.
Another Half Million Donated to Red Deer College Project
Red Deer College has announced that Red Deer Bottling and the Truant family have donated $500,000 toward the institution's Building Communities Through Learning campaign. Component 1 includes the $67 million Centre for Trades and Technology, Centre for Visual Art, Centre for Business Enterprise, and Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing. More than $10 million has been raised toward the $35 million goal in community donations.

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