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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
June 2010 Part
1
June 15, 2010
City Transit Parkade Named After Sorensen
The
city of Red Deer has named the new downtown 3-storey parkade and transit terminal
set to open this summer 'Sorensen Station', after transportation pioneer
Gordon Sorensen. Sorensen pioneered several inter-community bus lines in
Central Alberta in the 1930s, 40s and 50s including the establishment of
city bus service in 1957 which was sold to the city in 1966 with 14
buses. He also established school bussing in the region.
His lines and buses were ultimately sold and became Prairie Bus Lines,
Red Deer Transit and a major part of Greyhound service in Central
Alberta. He died in 1981 at the age of 77.
Sylvan Lake Residents Want Green Space Kept
Two issues have come in conflict in Sylvan Lake with residents wanting
both a new skateboard park and the preservation of an abandoned rail
line that has become a cherished park but not the two projects together.
The town had wanted to build the skateboard park in the green space
close to H.J. Cody High School. However, several people objected in
order to preserve the former Canadian Pacific Railway right of way, that
was originally part of the Alberta Central Railway, as an east-west
linear park left in its 'natural' state although a recreational trail is
anticipated. Town council decided to look for an alternate site for the
skateboard park.
Industrial School Children to be Honoured
First Nations children who were buried at the Red Deer Industrial School
between 1893 and 1919 will be honoured at a feast and ceremonies at the
cemetery and Fort Normandeau at the end of the month. About 1,000 people
who have a connection to the school, including representatives of
several First Nations communities around Alberta, are expected to
attend. Although all traces of the school are long gone, the cemetery
was discovered about 20 years ago.
College Eco Business Park Expected to Proceed
Although circumstances have changed, Red Deer College still plans to
proceed with the Eco Innovation Business Park on a 75-acre parcel of
land next to Highway 2 but it could take longer than originally planned.
The intention of the college and its Red Deer Regional Economic
Development partners is to attract companies using green energy or have
green technology potential.
June 14, 2010
Enthusiasts to Preserve Transportation
Heritage
A group of railway and transit enthusiasts are eager to preserve the
history of ground transportation in the Red Deer area by means of two
major community and tourist centres, one downtown and the other on the
outskirts of the city. The Forth Junction Heritage Society also wants to
connect the various disconnected historic rail icons scattered about the
area. In addition they want to explore future transportation and create
a replica of a historic passenger steam locomotive that once ran between
Calgary and Edmonton -- the Chinook. The project could take up to 20
years but the group is hoping to have something on the ground in three
to five years.
Scow Replica to Celebrate Historic
Dinosaur Hunt
The 100th anniversary of the first major dinosaur-hunting expedition on
the Red Deer River is being celebrated at the end of the month with the
launch of a replicated 9-metre-long and 4-metre-wide unique shallow
draft flat-bottomed scow that Barnum Brown and his team from the
American Museum of Natural History used to explore the area in 1910. The
craft will be equipped with tent, wood stove and hundreds of period
tools. Darren Tanke of Drumheller and a couple of his closest friends
will make a 5-week journey from the Bower Ponds boat launch to Dinosaur
Provincial Park near Brooks.
June 12, 2010
SPCA Opens New Modern Building
The Red Deer and District SPCA opened its new $4.2 million, 12,300 sq.
ft. modern facility today called the Animal Welfare and Humane Education
Centre next to its former facility in the north part of the city in the
Riverside Industrial Park. The new building is four times the size of
its old building and double the capacity for animals. It includes
isolation rooms for sick animals, a retail shop, an education classroom,
adoption and holding kennels and a grooming room. The facility will be
able to handle a maximum of 100-120 cats and 30-35 dogs at any given
time. Last year the old facility handled 800 animals.
June 11, 2010
Expert Says Urgency Needed on
High Speed Rail
The director of Urban Studies at Vancouver's Simon Fraser University
addressing more than 80 representatives of the Central Alberta Economic
Partnership (CAEP) stated that it is important for the Alberta
government to make a decision this year on developing high speed rail
between Calgary and Edmonton with a stop in Red Deer and to start
building it in 3-4 years. Anthony Pearl, who co-authored the book
'Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight Without Oil', expects
that regions of the world served by high speed rail and others modes of
transportation not dependent on oil will have much greater opportunities
for economic growth that those that don't.
Mixed-Use Building Plan Revealed for
Prime Site
An open house recently revealed to the public a plan for a commercial
and residential building proposed for a prime site on the north end of
downtown on the main thoroughfare next to the Red Deer River. The
developer wants to construct a varied-height building of 3 to 6 storeys
on the site that would have 12 residential suites on upper floors and
commercial on the ground floor. The proposal takes in 2 existing lots, a
portion of city roadways and a portion of parks land. The city already
plans to extend 55 Street directly west in the future from Gaetz and
eliminate the 54 Street underpass. The area is part of the Greater
Downtown Action Plan and the Railyards district high-density
redevelopment plan. City council will need to approve the rezoning of
the area and the purchase of city-owned land.
City Wal-Mart Supercentre Expected to
Proceed
The Red Deer municipal planning commission has approved site development
for a 30,000 sq. ft. addition to the 130,000 sq. ft. Southpointe Common
Wal-Mart store to allow it to be converted to a 'supercentre' with a
full range of groceries as well as upgrades to the rest of the store.
The business hopes to open the revamped store early in 2011. The company
opened two 'supercentres' in Central Alberta in 2008 at Olds and Sylvan
Lake.
New Sylvan Lake Hotel Expected to Open in
July
A 3-storey, 62-unit Comfort Inn & Suites is expected to open in Sylvan
Lake's Beju Industrial Park in mid-July. The hotel will have a pool and
waterslide, a meeting room, a fitness area, a business centre and
jacuzzi suites.
June 10, 2010
McDonald House Construction to Start Soon
Construction of the $12 million, 11-suite, 3-storey Ronald McDonald
House is expected to start within a month on the south end of downtown
Red Deer near the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. It is to be the
first new Ronald McDonald House to be built in Canada in more than 20
years. It is estimated that 400 families from outside the city will be
housed in the facility per year while family members, especially
children, are in the hospital. Start of construction has been delayed a
couple of months in order to resolve some drainage issues on the hilly
site but is still expected to be open in June 2011. In addition, there
had to be a few adjustments in planned building materials due to rising
costs. The capital campaign is continuing to raise the $2 million still
needed to complete the project.
Highway Reopens After Train
Derailment
Highway 2A between McKenzie Road and Lantern Street immediately south of
the city has been reopened after being closed for two days as a result
of a train derailment early Tuesday morning parallel to the highway.
Five cars and a locomotive at the back of a south-bound Canadian Pacific
Railway train left the tracks and did considerable damage to the track.
Repairs and cleanup required the closure of the highway although there
were no injuries related to the incident.
June 9, 2010
County Extends Proposed
Ethanol Plant Permit
Red Deer County's municipal planning commission has given a one year
development permit and subdivision extension to a proposed $140 million
ethanol and biodiesel plant north of Innisfail in order for the company
to pursue federal government financing. The proposed facility to be
built on a 421-acre site was first approved in August 2008. The company
expects to get approval for the federal grant later in the month and
could start construction later this year on a 170-million-litre ethanol
plant as the first phase of the project. A biodiesel plant and canola
crushing facility originally proposed will be delayed until the market
is more favourable.
Red Deer College Considers Downtown
Campus
The city's municipal planning commission has approved a proposal by Red
Deer College to set up a satellite campus at the Millennium Centre
office building in downtown Red Deer. The college is considering a plan
to lease 21,620 sq. ft. on the third floor and 15,260 sq. ft. on the
fourth floor that would include 9 classrooms, 3 computer labs, a common
learning area and 30 offices or workspaces. If the project goes ahead,
renovations could begin in December and be ready for students in the
fall of 2011.
Red Deer Housing Starts Continue to
Increase
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) reports that 311 residences
have started construction in Red Deer so far this year, including 171
single-detached dwellings. That's more than any other city in Alberta
except for Calgary and Edmonton. For the same 5-month period in 2009,
only 95 residences had started of which 77 were single-detached. In May,
there were 57 starts compared to 22 one year earlier.
Six More Outdoor Gyms Being Built in City
Parks
Red Deer Primary Care Network, made up of 68 family doctors focussed on
health promotion and illness prevention, have received over $400,000
from Alberta Health and Wellness for six new outdoor gyms at green
spaces throughout the city in addition to the four built last year. Most
of the sites will have 12 stations with double fitness machines so up to
24 people can use the facility at once. The city provides the land and
will maintain the gyms.
Olds-Didsbury Airport Being Upgraded
Mountain View County has invested $1.8 million in an improvement project
at the Olds-Didsbury Airport, 8 km south of Olds, that includes the
construction of roads and taxiways and the installation of services for
hangar lots. The county expects to recoup the investment through new
economic development in the area and the sale of the new 13 lots. The
airport, built by the Alberta government in 1983 and owned by the
county, is about half way between Red Deer and Calgary.
June 7, 2010
New Blindman
Pedestrian Bridge Officially Opens
About 80 people, including several dignitaries from area communities as
well as provincial and federal governments, builders and consultants,
were on hand Saturday for the official opening of the Blindman River
pedestrian bridge as part of International Trails Day. The $300,000
project is accessible by travelling 5 km north of the city on the C&E
Trail and south of Blackfalds along a gravel road. A 2-km paved
trail between the bridge and Blackfalds is expected to be constructed
this summer and extended between Blackfalds and Lacombe next year. It is
part of a section of the Trans Canada Trail that will eventually be
built between Ponoka and Penhold. Co-ordinated by Central Alberta
Regional Trails Society (CARTS), the bridge was funded by several
organizations including TransCanada Trail Foundation, National Trails
Coalition, Alberta TrailNet and Lacombe County. Members of the armed
forces reserves constructed the wood decking and railings. Lacombe
County has also built a picnic area on the north side of the bridge.
Red Deer and Olds Colleges to
Collaborate
In order to provide a wide range of programs to communities around
Central Alberta, Red Deer and Olds Colleges will collaborate to offer
both credit and non-credit courses. Through the Central Alberta College
Community Partnership, either college will offer courses through
videoconferencing to places such as Rocky Mountain House, Stettler,
Drumheller, Hanna, Sunchild First Nation and other communities. The
communities will offer the buildings with the required facilities such
as schools and libraries where the courses will be held.
June 5, 2010
Four Winners at Annual
Heritage Awards
Of the 10 nominees for the 9th annual Central Alberta Heritage Awards,
four were chosen as this year's recipients Friday -- historian Michael
Dawe's weekly articles in the Red Deer Express, the 1909 Dickson Store
Museum, 1907 Gothic-style St. Luke's Anglican Church in Red Deer and the
Riverside Meadows (North Red Deer) Story Stones project. Other nominees
included the ACR Mintlaw steel railway trestle purchased by Red Deer
County last year, City Hall Park, Innisfail Historical Village Role of
the Railroad exhibit, the J.F. Gaetz residence in Red Deer, pro
wrestling historian Vern May and artist David Plumtree for 12 historical
watercolour houses on Red Deer's 56th Street.
Inland Cement Opens New Modern Facility
Inland Cement has opened its new relocated modern
environmentally-friendly plant south of the city in Clearview Industrial
Park in Red Deer County. Inland's old facilities close to the city's
downtown had been used since 1954 occupying 2 acres next to the former
CPR rail yards in an industrial zone. Since the railway was relocated
twenty years ago, the area has transformed into more of an office and
commercial area. Future plans for the area will encourage more
residential and cultural facilities. The new plant has triple the
capacity of the downtown plant which is currently being assessed for
possible sale.
June 4, 2010
Area Towns Working on
Skateboard Parks
Various skateboarding groups around Central Alberta are starting to
realize their dreams of proper facilities. In Sylvan Lake, a proposed
location on the former CPR/ACR linear park near downtown is being
promoted to town council. The town of Lacombe is donating an acre of
land and budgeting $125,000 for the $500,000 project that is hoped will
open by fall 2011. In Olds, construction has already begun on a facility
in Centennial Park and is expected to open by the end of August.
June 3, 2010
New Canyon Ski Hill Owners Continue
Operation
After several months of negotiations and finalizing the sale, the new
local owners of Canyon Ski Hill have pledged to continue to operate as
Central Alberta's prime alpine resort 10 minutes east of Red Deer. The
deal comes after two and a half years of the 240-acre facility being up
for sale. Several options were explored including sale of the resort to
the city and county and sale for possible residential development. The
new owners, the Martel and Kunc families, plan to offer year-round
activities and expand its usage including children's adventure summer
camps. The ski hill began in 1968 and has been operated by the Martinek
family until the purchase was finalized.
ReThink Red Deer Promotes Urban Food
Supply
ReThink Red Deer, an advocacy and awareness group, is promoting the
concept of urban agriculture, creating an edible forest and getting back
in touch with nature. The group has started a demonstration 2-acre
garden plot north of Blackfalds where various species of edible plants
will co-exist and form its own eco-system. It is hoped that the
permaculture example will encourage municipalities to create sustainable
natural food resources as part of their park systems.
City Residential Permits Higher Year to
Date
Although the value of residential permits in Red Deer for May was
slightly lower than for the same month last year, the value year to date
is about 45% higher at $32.9 million compared to $22.6 million for the
first five months of 2009. Overall permits in all categories are down
year to date at $40.6 million compared to $45.4 million as a result of
fewer public works projects this year.
June 2, 2010
Red Deer Population
Now Over 90,000
The 2010 Red Deer census has revealed that the city has reached a
population of 90,084, an increase of 193 residents since last year's
census, representing 0.2% growth year over year. It is the smallest
growth rate since 1995 due to the significant slowdown in the general
economy. Last year's growth rate was 2.4%. The largest annual growth in
the past 15 years was in 2006 with an almost 5% increase in population.
Half of the years during that period saw a growth rate of 3% or more.
The new growth areas of Vanier Woods and Lancaster in the east part of
the city saw the greatest increases this year with some older areas
seeing a decline including Downtown, Eastview and Clearview. This year's
increase was also due in part to annexation of several quarter sections
of land from Red Deer County last fall.
Donalda Council Pleased Village Won't
Dissolve
After a vote by Donalda residents in March concerning the dissolution of
their village resulted in 75% opposing the proposal, Alberta Municipal
Affairs has decided to honour that non-binding vote, much to the
pleasure of the village council. The municipality of 250 will celebrate
its centennial in 2012. It boasts the world's biggest oil lamp at nearly
13 metres, a lamp museum, historical buildings, a new fire hall and a
new subdivision. In the future, the Stettler steam train may be extended
to the community.
Downtown Ambassadors Spread Goodwill
Dressed in cherry red cowboy hats and vests, Red Deer's four new
downtown goodwill ambassadors have begun their 4-month pilot project
letting visitors and residents know about locations of interest, give
directions, assist at special events, talk about upcoming downtown
events and share information about locations of businesses. City
commissionaires with first-aid training were hired for the positions.
New Challenge Course Unveiled at
Nordegg
The Goldeye Centre, a retreat near Highway 11 at Nordegg run by the
not-for-profit Goldeye Foundation Society, has added more challenge
courses to the programmes offered there. The elaborate setup of ropes,
ladders, cargo nets and platforms are designed to help in team-building
exercises and self-esteem development for both adults and youth. The
centre is also used for corporate outings, conferences, weddings,
workshops and other events and offers a variety of overnight
accommodation.
City RCMP Officers to Work
G8/G20
The RCMP city detachment is sending 26 officers to assist with security
at the G8 summit in Huntsville and the G20 summit in Toronto at the end
of June. They will provide a variety of functions including public order
and a canine unit. City officers were also involved in security at the
Vancouver Winter Olympics.
June 1, 2010
Final Phase of Southbrook Subdivision
Approved
Red Deer's municipal planning commission has approved the final
residential phase of Southbrook (Sunnybrook South) subdivision north of
19 St. and east of Piper Creek. The 21-acre Melcor development will
consist of 65 detached homes, a multi-family lot, 3 municipal reserve
lots and 2 public utility lots. An additional parcel reserved for future
commercial has yet to be subdivided.
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