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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).
May 2008 Part
1
May 15, 2008
Wildlife Centre Fundraiser Features Renowned Comedian
About 350 people attended the 'On the Wild Side' dinner and auction,
featuring CBC comedian Rick Mercer, yesterday to help pay off the
Medicine River Wildlife Centre's $300,000 mortgage and to preserve
wildlife habitat. An estimated $50,000 to $60,000 was raised at the
event. Mercer's appearance fee was covered by donations from Shell,
EnCana and ConocoPhillips. Founded in 1984, the non-profit organization
operates under federal and provincial permits to care for orphaned and
injured wildlife. The centre, located 40 km west of Innisfail, now
treats close to 1,000 wildlife patients annually.
May 14, 2008
City Curling Centre Plans to Build Multi-Use Facility
The Red Deer Curling Centre have nearly completed plans for the
construction of a new multi-use building on the provincially-owned
Michener Centre grounds. The facility will house 10 sheets of curling
ice (expandable to 16 sheets), a clubhouse/lounge, and a hall that could
accommodate up to 4 additional sports clubs. The bottom floor will cover
about 4,500 sq. ft., including the sheets of curling ice. The second
floor will feature the curling club lounge and possibly space for
another sports club. The existing building downtown has been
conditionally sold to the Red Deer Tennis Club for $1 million. The new
building is expected to cost around $6 million and, once built, would
attract more high-profile events.
Draft City Strategic Vision Unveiled to Public
The first phase of the Red Deer 2009-2012 Strategic Plan was revealed to
the public in order to guage reaction to the conceptual vision, mission,
and broad goals of the plan. Sustainable, innovative and distinctive
were some of the key buzzwords expressed at the open house yesterday.
The proposed three-part vision statements is "innovative thinking,
inspired results, vibrant community". Once the goals are established,
the city will move to consider objectives, barriers and finally
strategies. The final draft is expected to go before city council in
October.
Equipment Supplier Sets Up in Burnt Lake Business Park
Strongco LP, one of Canada's biggest industrial equipment suppliers, is
developing an approximately 23,000 sq. ft. building on a five-acre site
in the Burnt Lake Business Park west of Highway QE2 and the city of Red
Deer in Red Deer County. The business carries products from Case,
Manitowoc, Cedarapids and Volvo Construction Equipment, the third
largest equipment manufacturer in the world. New, used and rental
graders, rock trucks, loaders, excavators, skid steers, backhoes,
packers and pavers used by the construction, road-building, mining,
forestry, utilities and municipal sectors will be carried by the
company. Work is expected to be completed by fall.
May 13, 2008
City Downtown Clock Tower Celebrates Citizens
Conceived as an Alberta centennial project in 2005, a majestic
custom-made four-sided 10-metre tall clock tower was unveiled outside
the Old Court House in downtown Red Deer yesterday. The Downtown Rotary
Club came up with the idea to commemorate former Citizens of the Year
and Young Citizens of the Year from the past with space for future
recipients of the award. Four city Rotary Clubs, the City, Bearden
Engineering, Timcon Construction and the Old Court Professional Centre
are recognized as project sponsors on a plaque. The $55,000 clock is
expected to become a major downtown landmark.
Blackfalds Postponing Census Until 2009
The town of Blackfalds has decided to postpone its annual census for a
year. The current official population from last year's census is 4,823
and it is likely that it would pass the benchmark population of 5,000
which triggers the necessity to provide its own police service within 24
months. The delay buys some time to determine what type of policing is
best for the town and to provide a building for the force. The town
could develop its own force or contract out to the RCMP or another
provider. Currently, towns with a population less than 5,000 are
provided services by the RCMP at no cost to the town.
Central Alberta Tourism Committee Formed
Nine Central Alberta municipalities that formed a tourism committee to
get a bigger piece of the tourism pie unveiled their strategy recently
that highlights the 16 summer weekends between May and September. The
"Alberta Sweet 16" campaign will focus on the Edmonton and Calgary area
in order to convince people to make the short drive to the many
attractions just a short drive from their homes.
May 12, 2008
Canoe Voyage Replicates Early Explorer David Thompson
On Saturday, 16 voyageur canoes embarked on a 63 day journey down the
North Saskatchewan River from Rocky Mountain House to relive the 19th
century voyage of explorer David Thompson. Rocky once served as a fur
trading post from where the explorer spent several years in the area
searching for a passage to the Pacific Ocean. Thompson mapped 3.9
million square kilometres of North America. He travelled by canoe,
horseback, dogsled and by foot to explore and to trade furs. More than
200 paddlers are expected to travel some or all of the 3,600 km through
four provinces. The trek ends on July 12 at Old Fort William (Thunder
Bay) on Lake Superior.
Lacombe County Delays Urban Corridor Approval
Due to some outstanding issues, Lacombe County council has decided to
delay first reading of the Highway 2A Urban Corridor Area Structure Plan
that would guide future development between the towns of Lacombe and
Blackfalds. Area landowners have raised concerns about housing density
and environmental protection. The town of Lacombe has taken issue with
the plan's proposal for interim service standards for future communal
water and wastewater systems. The committee, made up of representatives
of the three municipalities, will review and clarify the issues.
Lacombe County Industrial Park Taking Shape
A prominent new industrial park west of Highway QE2 near Blackfalds is
starting to take shape with buildings going up on the quarter section.
About 60 acres are still available, expected to be sold before the end
of the year. Buyers so far include Mustang Helicopters, Mega Cranes,
Eagle Builders, Voltage Wireline and Canadian Subsurface Wireline and
Production Services.
May 10, 2008
Talks Begin on Stettler Biodiesel Plant Land Deal
The Town of Stettler and Greenlab Energy Canada have started
negotiations for a land deal that would enable the company to build a
biodiesel plant in Stettler's industrial area that would use 27 million
bushels of locally grown canola each year. The plant would produce
electricity, heat and animal feed from canola meal, a byproduct of the
canola-crushing process. Another byproduct would be pharmaceutical
glycerin. Greenlab also plans to develop a university on site, where 400
students would conduct biofuels research.
May 9, 2008
Liberty Junction
to Feature Unique Residential Neighbourhood
A new medium-density residential neighbourhood called Liberty Junction
is planned for a 90 acre parcel west of Gasoline Alley that will feature
a unique pedestrian-friendly philosophy with less pavement than what is
normally found in newer housing developments. When fully developed, the
subdivision will have 1,150 residential units. The first phase will have
200 housing units featuring a range of housing types, including
different styles of townhouses, some with a stacked design that involves
several levels of dwellings. A four-storey apartment building of 45-50
units is also planned. Some buildings will have commercial on the ground
floor with residential above. About 25 acres of the parcel will be set
aside as green space and special efforts are being made to protect and
enhance the McKenzie wetlands. Trails will link neighbourhoods and space
has been set aside for an elementary school. Site work is expected to
start this summer with the first units available late next year.
County Residents Want Trails, Parks, Recreation Information
Red Deer County's Recreation Facility Master Plan was revealed to the
public recently indicating that county residents want outdoor parks,
youth facilities, paved walkways and senior facilities improved. There
is also a need for better road signs and more event and program
information. New trails are expected to be constructed starting as early
as this fall between Springbrook and Penhold, Spruce View and Dickson,
and in the Cottonwood area. A regional recreation facility is also
desired but there is concern about how it would be funded. About a third
of survey respondents are willing to pay for a facility through taxes,
about a third are not and the remaining third would accept a combination
of user fees and taxes. Of 4,100 household receiving the survey, 864
responded. A student survey drew 558 responses and 31 organizations
responded to a more detailed survey. A formal report will go to county
council next month.
CMHC Reports City Housing Construction Still Sluggish
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports that work was started on
27 single detached homes in Red Deer last month, as compared to 95 in
April 2007. No starts on multi family units were reported compared to 22
last year. During the first four months of the year, there were 146
housing starts, 116 single family and 30 multi family units. That's down
76% from January to April 2007, which included 377 single detached and
233 multi family projects. The local decline is attributed to land
shortages, large inventories of new homes, activity in the resale
market, recent cost increases and a slowdown in the flow of new
residents into the city. It follows a general trend throughout the
province with housing starts down 44% and single detached starts down
65%. However, the local economy remains strong.
Ford Dealer Opens New Expanded Premises in Gasoline Alley
Festival Ford celebrated the grand opening of its new 46,000 sq. ft.
building in Liberty Crossing yesterday. The decision to move from north
Red Deer was made because neither renovation nor reconstruction were
practical and the county's ambitious plan for west of Gasoline Alley
made sense. Festival Ford moved into its new location in December, with
related Festival RV operating on an adjacent site since 2006. The
dealer's former site is being renovated for use by Gord Scott Nissan.
Linn Valley Concerned About New Industrial Intersection
Residents of the 100-home Red Deer County country residential
subdivision of Linn Valley are concerned about the noise and light that
would come from a new four-lane signal-controlled intersection on
Highway 11A about a kilometre west of the Highway 2 interchange. The new
road would lead to the city-owned Queens Business Park on the south side
of the highway. Linn Valley is on the north side. The new intersection
would replace the existing intersections with Parkland Road and Range
Road 275. The $2 million project is expected to be completed by the end
of summer.
May 8, 2008
Province Approves Elnora Annexation
The annexation of about 170 acres from Red Deer County to the Village of
Elnora has been approved by the provincial government. Much of the
annexed land will be used to provide space for light industrial
development and is currently privately owned. The village is also
planning about 70 residential lots on a 40-acre parcel. Red Deer County
has dealt with several annexation requests over the past couple of
years. The city of Red Deer is annexing 4,000 acres, Penhold more than
600 acres, Delburne 480 acres and Bowden 320 acres. Sylvan Lake annexed
seven quarter sections in 2006.
Sylvan Lake Taxes Up Average 10%
Assessments in some areas of Sylvan Lake have increased about 67% in the
past year resulting in tax increases this year up to 23%. The average
tax hike is around 10%. The town's $23.9 million budget includes a 12%
boost in operating expenses. A number of major projects are coming up
including a $9 million RCMP building, an administration building and
additions to the community centre.
May 7, 2008
Area Officials Confident With Plasco Technology
Councillors and staff from seven local municipalities toured Plasco
Energy's demonstration plant in Ottawa Monday and returned more
confident with the technology that uses fuel made from household waste
to generate electricity. Members of the Central Alberta Waste Management
Commission have been waiting to see the technology in action and some
had seen the plant while it was under construction. The proposed
regional plant would likely be built east of Penhold but a deal needs to
be finalized that assures some sort of security from the commission. At
a peak capacity of 300 tonnes of waste per day, the Central Alberta
plant would be able to generate 420 megawatts of electricity per hour
and 45 tonnes of inert slag per day as well as other reusable
byproducts. Municipalities represented on the tour included the City of
Red Deer, Red Deer County, Mountain View County, and the towns of
Innisfail, Sylvan Lake, Lacombe and Eckville.
Red Deer County Sees Boost in Assessments
Total assessments in Red Deer County increased 33% this year over last
year, 26% of which can be traced to a boost in market values. The
remaining 7% comes from new growth, such as new homes, businesses or
agricultural operations. The biggest increase was in residential
assessments jumping an average 38% over last year. Any county ratepayer
whose residential assessment increased by more than 28.5% can expect to
face a higher tax bill. The county's 2008 combined operating and capital
budget is $55 million.
Residential Complex to be Built Next to Olds Shopping Centre
Work has begun on the first of three 36-unit apartment condominium
buildings in Olds bordered to the west and south by Cornerstone Shopping
Centre that includes a Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Sobeys and Ramada Inn.
Each building will have three residential floors and a ground-floor
heated parkade. The complex will also include 36 suites in five
townhouse buildings and 18 villa bungalows. The total site covers 7.73
acres.
May 6, 2008
New City Municipal Plan Will Increase Future Density
Red Deer City Council has unanimously passed the new Municipal
Development Plan that will result in more densely packed future
neighbourhoods and commercial 'town centres' in selected growth areas.
An additional 140,000 acres will be annexed over the next decade to
accommodate population growth for the next 45 years. Walkability is one
of the plan's goals, as is encouraging bike use and public transit.
Another Airport Study to Collect More Information
Newer and more comprehensive information will be collected in the latest
study being conducted for the Red Deer Regional Airport. The City of Red
Deer and Red Deer County will each contribute $40,000 toward the project
and the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce will contribute $20,000. Five
previous studies have been done to examine the viability and
sustainability of the airport as well as developing strategies to
attract more passenger service.
Sylvan Lake Finalizes New RCMP Site
Town council for Sylvan Lake has decided to locate the new RCMP
detachment building in the soon-to-be-developed Beacon Hill subdivision.
The cost of purchasing land and inflation have pushed the estimated
price for the project to close to $9 million. The site was one of eight
originally proposed but not the preferred site. Town-owned land on the
former Canadian Pacific rail right-of-way was dropped as a result of an
overwhelming public response against it. Construction is expected to
begin this year. The new site may also support future civic buildings
such as a fire hall.
City Gives Three New Subdivisions Preliminary Approval
Red Deer city council started paving the way for three new residential
subdivisions. Phase 1 of the Timberlands neighbourhood will consist 159
low-density residential lots, 3 public utility lots and 6 municipal
reserve lots on 62 acres of land. Phase 2 of the Clearview North
neighbourhood will consist of 61 detached residential lots, 1 public
utility lot, possibly for a school, and 2 municipal reserve lots on 28
acres. Both are in the northeast part of the city. Phase 2 of the
Sunnybrook South neighbourhood, located in the south part of the city,
will consist of 23 detached residential lots, 40 semi-detached
residential lots, 2 public utility lots and 1 municipal reserve lot on
23.5 acres.
May 5, 2008
Estonion History Preserved on Heritage Website
The Alberta Estonian Heritage Society has added a database to the
Heritage Community Foundation website in order to keep their history
alive. The database has over 4,000 images and thousands of stories
providing information about festivals, fashion, music, cuisine, and
customs. Drawn here by the offer of cheap land in 1899, the first
Estonian in Central Alberta, Hendrick Kingsep and his wife settled in
Sylvan Lake and helped other Estonian homesteaders settle near Eckville,
Stettler and Big Valley. The Heritage Community Foundation is a
non-profit group behind the Alberta On-line Encyclopedia, which receives
more than 3.68 million hits a year from people looking for a range of
information about Alberta's history.
May 3, 2008
Auto Repair Building Transformed to Offices
Westview Business Centre is expected to open in July, completing the
transformation of the former Western Collision Repairs building in the
Riverlands area to a new upscale office building. The 40-year-old
building was stripped down to its steel superstructure and then rebuilt,
going from a single-storey to a two-storey structure. About two-thirds
of the 34,560 sq. ft. is already leased. Renovations included an
elevator, curved staircase, tiled floors and a rock feature wall.
Epic Canoe Adventure to Commemorate Historic Voyage
On May 10, 200 canoeists of the 2008 David Thompson Brigade will launch
from Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, paddle about 3,600 km
through 30 host communities over 63 days and end at Old Fort William
(Thunder Bay) on Lake Superior July 12. Paddlers will get a sense of
what it was like when David Thompson, in 1808, travelled by canoe to
survey and to fur trade. He would end up travelling 107,000 km over
nearly three decades. The route includes paddling downstream, upstream,
across open water and about 35 portages.
May 2, 2008
Lacombe County Donates to Red Deer College
Red Deer College's Building Communities Through Learning campus,
currently under construction, will be the recipient of a $300,000
donation from Lacombe County. Of the total contribution, $250,000 will
be spread over three years for the new facilities and $50,000 will go to
a new scholarship. The Lacombe County Leadership Scholarship will be an
annual $1,000 to two students who have demonstrated leadership qualities
through community involvement and graduated high school within the
county in the previous three years. Building Communities Through
Learning is a five-year campaign to expand college facilities and
programs, and increase the number of bursaries, scholarships and awards
available to students. Of the $35 million that the college needs to
fundraise, $13 million has been raised to date. The planned expansions
are scheduled to be completed in 2012.
City Commercial Permits Boost April Construction
A $1.1 million permit for Golf Town to be located next to the new Brick
store under construction and a $800,000 renovation to a Royal Bank
branch helped boost the value of building permits issued by the city in
April to $18.6 million, with $4.9 million of this related to commercial
work. In April 2007, there were $18 million in permits approved, of
which $1.4 million was related to commercial projects. Residential work
approved by the city last month generated $10.7 million in permits, down
from $13.6 million last year. One permit this year was for a $1.4
million multi-family development in north Red Deer of nine 12-plexes and
five 8-plexes. Four new neighbourhoods are planned for the city this
year that will address a shortage of serviceable lots. There were also
$2.8 million in industrial permits issued.
May 1, 2008
Sylvan Lake Commercial-Residential Condo Complex Rising
A four-storey combination commercial and residential condominium complex
is under construction near Sylvan Lake's lakefront. There will be two
commercial units on the ground floor that could be suitable for either a
retail or professional business, one 1,200 sq. ft. and the other 1,800
sq. ft. The upper floors will consist of 14 mid- to high-end residential
condo units between 1,000 sq. ft. and 1,500 sq. ft. It is expected that
the building will be ready for occupancy by the spring of 2009.
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