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News of the Red Deer Region
snippets and
summaries of news from local resources including media, press releases
and personal knowledge
March 2009 Part 2
Mar. 31, 2009
Stettler Settles Land Dispute with County
The town of Stettler and Stettler County have reached an agreement on
how each municipality will grow in the future and how much land will be
annexed by the town from the county. After two years of disputes and
mediation, the county will set aside 14 quarter sections of land for the
town's immediate and long-term growth area needs. Work will begin
immediately on annexing the first six quarter sections, mostly west of
the town. In the agreement, the county will set aside 10 quarter
sections for future business and residential growth. In February 2007, a
growth study had recommended 25 quarters be annexed by the town to
accommodate 60 years of growth. The county had offered 2 quarters. A
10-year intermunicipal development plan is being worked on.
Move to New City Civic Yards Begins
The Red Deer Parks department is the first of several city departments
to move to the new $118 million civic yards in the Riverside Heavy
Industrial Park near Three Mile Bend Recreation Area from the west
downtown Riverlands area. The Environmental Services department will be
the next one to move on the weekend of April 6. More than 500 employees
will eventually work at the new location.
Earth Hour Reduces Power Consumption by 2.5%
Electrical consumption in Red Deer was reduced 2.5% during Earth Hour
Saturday, enough energy to run the city's traffic lights for five days
or to reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking four cars off
the road for a year.
Harbour Spas Acquires McCauley's Electric Motors
Red Deer's Harbour Spas Home and Liesure has announced that it has
acquired McAuley's Electric Motors. The operation and 10 employees will
move to the Harbour location in the former Brick building in north Red
Deer on Gaetz Avenue. McAuley's has operated in the city for more than
50 years. In addition to its Red Deer headquarters, Harbour Spas
operates two stores in Calgary.
Mar. 28, 2009
New Gathering Place for Mentally Ill
The Canadian Mental Health Association in Red Deer is moving its
Gathering Place to the former downtown Club Cafe banquet room. For two
years the Gathering Place has been located in an 1,800 sq. ft. space.
The new space will have 4,000 sq. ft. allowing people with brain
injuries access to the facility and the group to expand their programs.
Mar. 27, 2009
Lacombe County Reallocates Surplus
Poor weather last fall combined with lower asphalt costs this year has
provided a $3.1 million surplus of funds allocated last year for road
building in Lacombe County. County council decided this week to
reallocate the surplus to a series of reserve accounts including $1
million to the water and wastewater fund, $1 million into the recreation
capital assistance reserve, $500,000 into a fund to build remote public
works shops, $350,000 for lake access and $250,000 into a regional trail
network.
Lacombe County Studies Sylvan Lake Boat Access
Lacombe County is hiring an engineering firm to determine how boat
access to Sylvan Lake at Sunbreaker Cove can be expanded and where
another launch site can be located. Improved access to the lake has been
an issue for several years and the one at Sunbreaker Cove is swamped
during the summer.
Mar. 26, 2009
Opportunity for City to Become Memorable
City manager Craig Curtis told members of Tourism Red Deer at their
annual general meeting yesterday that a recession offers a great
opportunity to plan major projects that will make the city memorable and
a worthwhile place to visit. He indicated that the city must develop its
own unique character in creating a sense of place and enhancing the
community's unique qualities. Many major projects in the past occurred
during or immediately after periods of economic challenges.
RV Resort Near Eckville Being Planned
A 175-lot RV development on 30 acres of land next to Fairways at Last
Hill Golf and Country Club near Eckville is being planned that could
evolve into a golf and campground resort. Owners of the bare land
serviced condominium lots with telephone and internet will get free golf
memberships. The gated, family-oriented community would include a
clubhouse. Tennis and volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, walking trails,
playgrounds and water features are also planned. A number of
improvements to the 18-hole golf course, opened in 1982, are also being
made.
Job Fair Attracts More Seekers, Fewer Exhibitors
Organizers of the Career Assistant Network job fair report twice as many
job seekers this year as last fall's record-breaking event which had
attracted twice as many as the one before it. The number of exhibitors
however dropped from more than 100 last fall to about 68 Wednesday. A
large number of the job seekers were from the oilfield industry.
Mar. 25, 2009
High School Equine Course at Olds College
A pilot project is underway that gives Olds College students the chance
to practice coaching Chinook's Edge high school students hands-on
training with horses. High school students from Olds, Sundre, Didsbury,
Carstairs, Delburne, Bowden and Red Deer first spent 30 hours in
classroom training and then used that knowledge practicing how to
identify horses and feed as well as grooming and other horse-caring
skills. Participating students gained both high school and college
credits by taking the program.
Mar. 24, 2009
Millennium Centre Fills New Office Space
After adding a sixth and seventh floor and 40,000 sq. ft. of office
space to the Millennium Centre in downtown Red Deer last year, the
owners report that 90% is leased and remain confident that the remainder
will be leased soon. Servus Credit Union is leasing half of the seventh
floor and is expected to move in July 1 consolidating space that is
currently being leased in a number of buildings. Alberta Tourism, Parks
and Recreation is leasing 5,500 sq. ft. on the seventh floor, also
consolidating various locations, and is expected to move in Oct. 1.
Accounting firm BDO Dunwoody LLP, with a staff of 70, expected to
increase to 100-110 in the future, will occupy the entire sixth floor by
the end of June. Meanwhile, the 12-storey Executive Place, currently
under construction a block away and expected to be completed by the end
of the year, will add another 112,000 sq. ft. of office and commercial
space and already has commitments from national tenants.
Mar. 23, 2009
Club Raising Funds For Cultural Centre
The German-Canadian Club of Red Deer is working towards building a 4,500
sq. ft. cultural centre, big enough to hold 300-350 people, on a 10-acre
site west of Highway 2 and north of 32 Street in Red Deer County. The
county approved the project in May 2006 that is estimated to cost
between $1.8 million and $2.6 million. The 100-member club has held
various events and sought government dollars. This year, fund-raising
events include a golf tournament, Oktoberfest and serving German food at
Canada Day celebrations at Bower Ponds.
Workshop Deals with Racism and Prejudice
The Central Alberta Diversity Association held a free community workshop
on Saturday as part of its marking of International Day for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Participants heard about what
constitutes discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping and had the
chance to role play in various scenarios of discrimination and how best
to respond.
Mar. 21, 2009
Proposed Gasoline Alley Hotel Plan Expands
A proposed 100-unit Holiday Inn hotel in east Gasoline Alley south of
the city was announced in 2005 that was to have meeting space for 150.
The revised plan is for a 116-unit full-service hotel with a 500-person
conference centre, family restaurant, lounge, waterslide, pool and other
amenities estimated to cost $16 million to $18 million. The developers
expect that the current economic slowdown should allow for the hotel to
be built quicker and at less cost than would have been the case
previously. Construction is to begin within the next few months and take
about a year to complete. Meanwhile, construction on the 110-unit
Hampton Inn and Suites on the opposite side of Highway 2 is expected to
begin this spring.
CollegeSide Project Gets Provincial Funding
The Bethany Care Society will receive about $4.3 million from Alberta
Seniors and Community Supports for an additional 36 units and 18 one-
and two-bedroom suites in the CollegeSide Gardens project located on the
Red Deer College grounds. Funding is now available to build 72
affordable studio suites for seniors and people with disabilities, as
well as 31 suites. The province provided $3.8 million last year for the
first phase but the new funding will allow the entire project to be
built. Construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks with
completion expected in the summer of 2010. The $17 million building will
go up next to the existing continuing care facility that serves 112
seniors and adults with disabilities.
Olds Gets Funding for Two Projects
The Mountain View Lodge in Olds will get nearly $4.4 million for
modernization and improvements to 77 units as a result of funding from
Alberta Seniors and Community Supports announced on Thursday. Another
project in Olds, Studios Alberta Limited, will build 15 affordable
studio units aimed at recipients of the provincial Assured Income for
the Severely Handicapped (AISH) as a result of funding of $868,000 from
Alberta Housing and Urban Affairs.
Rocky Mountain House Gets Seniors Funding
The Rocky Mountain House Senior Housing Council has received $5.6
million for modernization and expansion of the Westview Lodge from
Alberta Seniors and Community Supports. The project will see 17 of the
53 existing units increased in size and modernized. The council also
wants to add a storey or two to the building to add up to another 35
rooms.
Mar. 18, 2009
Red Deer County Sees Rural Trails Plan
An intricate network of trails and outdoor recreational areas was
presented to Red Deer County council yesterday as part of the final
phase of the Open Spaces Master Plan that has been in the works since
2005. Trails connecting Springbrook to Penhold, Spruce View to Dickson,
and a Cottonwood day-use area near Dickson Dam, which have already been
approved and are moving forward this year, are the first steps towards
implementing the plan. Seven distinct zones were identified that could
benefit from developing trail systems and recreational areas that would
ultimately integrate with each other, including Alberta Central Railway,
Medicine River, Ghost Pine and Boomtown. The plan would work with
existing features such as the ACR trestle bridge across the Red Deer
River.
Harness Racers Launch Alberta Downs
The Alberta Standardbred Horse Association has announced their harness
racing schedule beginning in mid-April representing the first
competitors at the new Alberta Downs west of Lacombe and next to
Highways 2 and 12. It has taken 2 years of carving dirt and turf tracks
out of farmland and municipal approvals to get the project launched for
the public. The tracks and barns are ready and the grandstand should be
completed in time for the first race day. There will be on-site betting
on race days and off-site betting is expected in the near future. The
harness races are expected to draw 400 to 500 horses and at least double
that number of people, counting owners, handlers and others.
Glennifer Lake Plan Raises Concerns
A public hearing at Red Deer County council chambers yesterday drew
about 40 people concerned that the proposed Glennifer Lake Shorelands
Area Structure Plan will be disastrous to area water supplies and
wildlife. Increasing demands for water within the Red Deer River basin
led to the construction of Dickson Dam in the early 1980s and the
reservoir behind the dam plays a significant role in meeting water needs
in the basin. Residents argue that development and increased
recreational usage will wreak havoc on water supplies, put pressure on
dam operators to adjust water usage based on boaters and resort demands,
exacerbate erosion and damage local plants and wildlife. The plan
prohibits any new development within 300 metres of the shoreline with at
least half the land between the development and the shoreline earmarked
as a wildlife habitat corridor.
City Looking For Federal Funds for Projects
Red Deer city council has passed a resolution to apply for federal
funding to build a $20 million intake to the city's water treatment
plant and a $14.4 million 12-sheet curling rink through the Building
Canada Fund. The city is also hoping to get economic stimulus dollars
for its six-lane expressway and truck route on Red Deer's northeast
side.
Mar. 17, 2009
City Sets Ambulance Agreement With Province
The City of Red Deer is in the process of hiring 35 paramedics as a
result of a 2-year contract with the provincial government to provide
ambulance service as part of a boundary-less system. The city will have
at least 5 ambulances on call 24 hours a day. Alberta's municipalities
had for years argued that ambulance services fall under the province's
jurisdiction to cover costs that up to recently were the responsibility
of each municipality. However, Red Deer is one of 11 municipalities that
have integrated emergency services -- fire-medics are trained as both
firefighters and paramedics. The province will only fund paramedics and
EMTs under the new plan.
Highway Patrol Pilot Project Launched in Olds
The RCMP and Alberta Sheriff's Department will be working under a single
command in Olds as one of four province-wide pilot projects testing
various models of traffic enforcement with the objective of reducing
highway collisions. The two forces will work side by side in the
community and on the roads. Six sheriffs will work out of the Olds RCMP
detachment. There are about 105 sheriffs patrolling Alberta's highways.
Last year, sheriffs issued 144,000 tickets.
Mar. 16, 2009
Event Celebrates Peace and Diversity
Kaleidoscope, an event held on the weekend to celebrate peace and
diversity as well as to mark International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination, attracted a wide range of performers of various
cultural, religious and ability backgrounds as well as a few hundred
observers. The event was hosted by the Central Alberta Diversity
Association and the Central Alberta Immigrant Women's Association and
was sponsored by the Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society and the
Department of Canadian Heritage.
Innisfail Landmark Destroyed by Fire
A landmark building at Innisfail's primary downtown corner was destroyed
over the weekend by fire. More than 40 firefighters from Innisfail, Red
Deer County and Bowden fought the blaze and were able to prevent the
fire from spreading to adjoining buildings. The building most recently
housed Bigfoot Sports and Body Basics Massage Therapy. It previously
housed Jackson's Drugs and before that Berscht's Clothing Store. The
second floor had newly renovated offices. The site has had two
destructive fires in the past. The Royal Hotel was located on site in
the early 1900s before being destroyed by fire in 1922. A hardware store
was built a couple of years after and was damaged by fire in 1942. It
was sold to Berscht's in the late 1940s.
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