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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
July 2011 Part 2
July 30, 2011
Springbrook to Penhold Trail Stalls
Red
Deer County has postponed plans to connect the Springbrook-Penhold Trail
from the south end of the Springbrook Nature Park to the Penhold town
limits. Construction was to occur this
summer but the County sees no point in building a trail to the town's
edge until the town can connect it to their trail system. The proposed trail is already registered as
part of the Trans Canada Trail and forms part of a continuous trail
system that will eventually link the communities between Ponoka and
Innisfail.
July 29, 2011
New City Restaurant Opens North Side of
River
The former Stella's Riverside Cafe on Red Deer's north side of the Red
Deer River has changed owners and name. The 9's By The River is a
40-seat restaurant that serves everything from breakfasts, soups and
salads to steaks and burgers grilled outdoors. It also serves its own
baked goods. The restaurant features a novelty burger called 'the Bubba'
that contains 7 pounds (3.2 kg) of hamburger, 1 pound (.45 kg) of bacon,
1 pound of cheese, 1 pound of tomatoes and a huge bun. Normally priced
at $54, it's free if a person can eat it within an hour.
International Stone-Carvers
Symposium at
College
Seven marble sculptures will result from the Bergen Rocks sculpture
symposium being held at Red Deer College. Participants include stone
carvers from as far away as Italy, Korea, China, Turkey and Mongolia.
The annual event started four years ago by a sculpture at the hamlet of
Bergen 45 km southwest of Olds. Five of the sculptures will be moved to
Bergen while two will remain in Red Deer. The public is welcome to view
the progress of the works until the event winds up on August 28.
July 28, 2011
Lacombe Corn Maze Features Man in Motion
The Lacombe Corn Maze is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Man
in Motion wheelchair tour by paralympian Rick Hansen in support of
programs related to spinal cord injuries. The maze this year features a
design that includes Hansen in the centre and stylized text. Proceeds
from two weekends will go to the Rick Hansen Foundation. Once the season
is over, the corn goes to cattle feed. The attraction is located off
Highway 12 half way between Lacombe and Gull Lake.
Red Deer Ford Dealership Expanding
The Red Deer municipal planning commission has approved the construction
of a new building including a large showroom for the MGM Ford Lincoln
dealership at the corner of Gaetz Avenue and 32 Street where the
business has been located for 40 years. The new 2-storey, almost 43,000
sq. ft., $9 million facility will take about 15 months to complete with
work expected to start soon. The much larger building will include 32
service bays, a drive-through area, snack bar, children's play space and
a separate lounge for the Lincoln brand.
July 27, 2011
Lacombe Skatepark Construction Under Way
After several years of lobbying and fundraising, construction on the
$545,000, 12,500 sq. ft. Lacombe skatepark is now under way and is
expected to be completed in three months. An acre of land in Michener
Park has been donated by the City of Lacombe for the project that will
eventually include lighting, a band shell and basketball court. The
facility's design includes recognition of the city's history and marquee
features for local skateboarders, inline skaters and BMX riders.
July 26, 2011
Westerner Days
Sets Three Attendance Records
Three attendance records were set at this year's 5-day Westerner Days
Fair and Exposition that ended Sunday. Overall, 93,965 people attended
the event, up 1,276 from the previous record of 92,689 set last year.
Both Saturday and Sunday set attendance records at 26,825 and 18,355
respectively. However there were some parking challenges on Saturday
when 5,876 vehicles were on site. Normally there are 4,400 public
parking stalls on six lots at the site but there are only 2,800 regular
stalls available during fair week. Officials are considering a
park-and-run system using Red Deer Transit next year as well as
encouraging people to carpool.
July 25, 2011
Amazing Country Race Explores Lacombe
County
A group of rural business owners in Lacombe County collectively called
'A Taste of Country' held a competition on the weekend based loosely on
the TV show "Amazing Race' where competitors were given a passport of
clues at the start of the race which led them to seven stops in the
county where a vendor would stamp their passports. The team with the
fewest kilometres on their vehicle to visit all the stops won prizes
worth $700 on each day.
July 22, 2011
Funds Released for Low Cost
Seniors
Housing
The Piper Creek Foundation has received $5.1 million from the provincial
and federal governments for a $7.9 million low-cost seniors housing
project in Red Deer near the Piper Creek Lodge. Called the Sandpiper, a
40-unit, 3-storey apartment building is expected to begin construction
in August and be completed in the fall of 2012. The building will
include underground parking and a rooftop garden. The foundation
currently operates 354 low-cost apartment units and 49 affordable units.
July 21, 2011
Canyon Ski Resort Preparing for 44th
Season
The Canyon Ski Resort east of Red Deer is doing maintenance work and
making some capital improvements to its snow-making equipment in
preparation for opening its 44th season this fall. Last year, the
facility had 44,000 skier visits plus around 17,000 school children.
Some new programs will be launched this year. Meanwhile the resort is
currently using about 140 sheep with more to follow to graze the
hillside as an alternative to mowing. The facility has a triple chair,
double chair, two T-bars and a handle tow.
Two New Red Deer Trails Under
Construction
A new stretch of trail is being constructed along the south side of 19th
Street on the south edge of Red Deer between 40 Avenue and Westerner
Park. Another trail is being constructed west between 40 Avenue at 22
Street to a new trail bridge that will cross Piper Creek at the Bower
subdivision.
July 20, 2011
Contest to Rename City
Railyards District
Popular
A few dozen suggestions have come forward to rename the Railyards
(sometimes referred to as Cannery Row) former industrial district
northwest of downtown Red Deer. The city plans to redevelop the area
with a focus on mixed use medium-to-high density residential and
commercial urban living. The area lies between Gaetz Avenue, Taylor
Drive and the Red Deer River through which the Canadian Pacific Railway
had a portion of their downtown railyards until they were relocated in
1990. The area includes two rail-related historic sites, the former CPR
station and the CPR river bridge. The name 'Railyards' was coined during
the process of updating the Greater Downtown Action Plan a few years
ago. The winner of the naming contest will be determined in the fall.
Jarvis Bay Summer Village to Get
Lakefront Park
Red Deer County is ceding a strip of lakefront property to the Summer
Village of Jarvis Bay on the southeast shore of Sylvan Lake. However
prior to giving control to the municipality, the county passed a bylaw
changing the zoning to environmental reserve restricting the use of the
land to leaving it in its natural state or making it into a public park.
July 19, 2011
Ponoka Mental Health
Centre Marks 100 Years
The Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury in Ponoka is
marking its 100th anniversary. When established in 1911, the facility
was called the Provincial Hospital for the Insane but was known for most
of its existence as Alberta Hospital Ponoka. It developed into one of
Western Canada's largest active treatment facilities for people with
psychiatric disorders and brain injury. The original hospital building
is empty and designated a heritage site. In recent years, the site was
completely redeveloped will all new buildings. Initially built for 150
patients, the facility now has 157 adult inpatient beds, 48 brain injury
beds and 125 seniors mental health beds. There are 1,000 staff including
20 physicians and 200 nurses and other professionals.
City Census Shows Citizens Embracing
Social Media
The 2011 municipal census conducted by the City of Red Deer indicates
that more than half of all households are using some form of online
social media. Census workers in April determined that 21,348 household
out of 39,000 use popular networking sites such as Facebook (the most
popular) and Twitter or smartphone applications. The average age of the
91,877 residents is 33 and the male-female ration is about equal.
Bowden Institution Expansion Under Way
Construction has begun on the $25 million expansion of the Bowden
Correctional Institution. The project includes the addition of a 96-bed
medium-security living unit and 50 more beds at the minimum-security
annex. The facility currently has 645 male offenders and a staff of 450
including about 200 correctional officers. The project is expected to be
completed by late 2012 or early 2013.
Closed Rimbey Golf Course Complex For
Sale
The 110-acre 9-hole Rimbey public golf course, campground along the
Blindman River, clubhouse and owners' home are all up for sale after the
owners decided to close the facility. A fixture in the community since
1955, the value of the complex is estimated at $1.5 million. Equipment
will be auctioned off.
July 18, 2011
Early Scout Heroism Recalled
Red Deer Scouts Canada troops are celebrating their 100th anniversary of
teaching youth values, skills and leadership in the city and region. In
1911, the city's first troop of Boy Scouts, which included Canada's
future governor-general Roland Michener, made Canadian Scout history and
national attention by capturing an armed fugitive who had shot and
injured the local police chief. They tightly surrounded him crouched in
the bushes until help arrived. Another act of heroism occurred in 1946
when a local scout rescued several girls from the river.
July 16, 2011
Improvements to
Wildlife Centre Progressing
A 2,000 sq. ft. addition to the public wing of the Medicine River
Wildlife Centre west of Innisfail is currently under way. It will create
more space for education rooms, the lecture theatre, gift shop, snack
area, staff room and new bathrooms. It will also have more windows so
visitors can better view the birds currently being rehabilitated. A
walking trail leading to an observation tower overlooking a 75-acre
marsh will also be upgraded. Carol Kelly started the facility 27 years
ago primarily to help a few owls recuperate from injury. Last year, more
than 1,300 injured or orphaned birds and animals were treated at the
wildlife hospital preparing them for release back into their natural
habitat. In June, there were 376 wild patients. The facility also
receives about 8,000 calls per year from people with wildlife concerns.
The centre is continuing to fundraise for a $600,000 addition and
renovations to the hospital and the $1.5 million upgrade and expansion
of the public area. Relying on donations, the facility operates on a
$400,000 annual budget.
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