COUNTY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

By Marianne Cole

1.  Possibly the most notable highlight was Earl Graham’s news at the beginning of the meeting that he would not be seeking re-election this fall.  He noted that he had spoken to a couple of others that might be interested in running in his division.

2.  The council voted to uphold their previous practise of not providing maintenance on undeveloped road allowances.

3.  Three readings were given, and passed, to the Crimson lake Cottage Association’s request for a dust control agreement whereby dust control would be provided in 2017 and that a special tax to cover this cost would be applied to their taxes beginning in 2018 for the following three years.

4.  A delegation from the Rocky Ag. Society gave a brief report on the recent public meetings they had held to provide information and gather input on their proposed new Rocky Ag. Rec Facility. They had met with various potential user groups (4-H, equine groups, general public, and contractors/potential sponsors). In his report Art Terpsma stated that the attendance averaged 20-35 at these meetings.  I attended three out of the 4 meetings and at only one of them was there an attendance over 20 (23) and that was that the equine meeting but the count also included the Ag. Society members/presenters.  At the last one for the contractors/sponsors there was a total of 12 people, 5 of whom were Ag. Society members.

Art did mention that they had visited the new facility in Claresholm and that it is only 150 feet wide and geared for a competitor arena.  The previous feasibility study done for the proposed one here had suggested a width of 250 feet.

He also mentioned that a representative from Rimbey had attended one of the meetings to describe the hoops they had had to go through in building their facility.

In conclusion, Art mentioned that there is still lots of work to do and items to be ironed out.  This includes ownership of the land (who will hold title) and the operation procedure.  He was hoping that it could be a community building run by a community board.

Comments from the council included ones from Councillor Laing who asked about grant possibilities; Councillor Duncan who expressed concern about dropping the width as we don’t want to be hindering future possibilities; and Councillor Alexander who suggested that the Ag. Society meet with administration to address some of the concerns, admitting that there is lots of work to be done yet but we need to keep it going.

5.  A delegation from the Cartier Creek Subdivision (in the southwest area of the county, along the Red Deer River) attended to give an opposing point of view to the “encroachment” issues on municipal reserve in that development.  Previously a delegation had attended in December 2016 regarding violations on municipal reserve.  While a different perspective was presented on Tuesday, council decided to uphold their decision to follow guidelines set out in Municipal Government Act and enforce those regulations with their Land Use Bylaw Amendment for Enforcement Provisions. 

Tri-Council Meeting Notes

By Helge Nome

A meeting involving the councils of Clearwater County, the Town of Rocky Mountain House and the Village of Caroline was held in the Clearwater County Chambers on Wednesday, June 28. Regional issues were discussed and dealt with. 

On top of the agenda was a presentation on the geothermal potential of formations located several kilometers below county communities, including Caroline and Rocky Mountain House. 

A report prepared by Jonathan Banks, Research Scientist at the University of Alberta, was presented by its author who noted that the extraction of heat from brine that resides in local underground formations could be made commercially viable, especially if existing depleted deep oil/gas wells were used.

The three councils approved some administrative changes to the way regional fire rescue services are delivered in the area: Clearwater County will become the “managing partner” with direct managerial control of the service. The Regional Advisory Committee will not be involved in operational matters. To that end, the three councils individually gave 1st. 2nd. and 3rd. reading to a bylaw that sets out the committee parameters.

In a follow-up to this item. the three councils approved a new Intermunicipal  Regional Fire Rescue Services Agreement.

In line with the changes noted above, this time concerning the Rocky Mountain Regional Solid Waste Authority, the newly appointed manager is now reporting directly to Clearwater County’s Public Works Manager, Marshall Morton, rather than to a committee. This after major problems were uncovered with the operation and governance of the authority in the past.

Alberta’s proposed new electoral boundaries were discussed with a general concern being expressed over the inclusion of the Drayton Valley area in the local electorate. This would add some 14,000 people to the electorate and make it the most populous and unmanagable in Alberta, with Calgary and Edmonton benefiting from the changes.

Clearwater County Council Meeting Notes

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

By Helge Nome

Chickens won the day at the regular meeting of County Council when any household within a county hamlet or country residential acreage was given the green light to keep a maximum of six chickens (but no rooster!).

The decision was unanimous.

Greg Neale and Tom Daniels from Sundre Forest Products/ West Fraser told council about their problems in regards to new American duties of 24.12% slapped on their exports to the US and the pine beetle infestation in BC and Western Alberta, which is not expected to show more than a temporary setback due to a relatively cold winter.

Council was given an update on an invigorated Rocky/Kamikawa Japanese student exchange program by coordinator Kim Hastings.

Bill Shaw from Bill Shaw Consulting presented council with a revised draft of the North Rocky Major Area Structure Plan which covers the area between Highway 22 and the Rocky Airport. This is a work in its early stages with much consultation ahead involving the public and the Rocky Town Council. Many issues remain to be resolved.

New provincial electoral boundaries were discussed with concern being expressed over large urban municipalities benefiting at the expense of rural ones.

Council decided against changing its 2/3 majority requirement in regards to a request from the Hamlet of Withrow to connect it to a municipal wastewater system.

IN THE NEWS

By Marianne Cole

1. MASP  Work continues on finalizing the draft of the Major Area Structure Plan. This is a document that will govern future development to the north of Rocky. As mentioned in our March Beacon, this area covers 11 quarters of land that could potentially be used for commercial, industrial, and community services development.

According to a news release posted on the county’s website on May 31, 2017, the next steps in the process are:

· Review of the plan by the town and county councils

· Finalize the draft MASP

· Public review and input at one or more public meetings

· Sending the plan to stakeholders for additional comments

· Public hearing where the public can make official presentations

Although not mentioned in the news release, the final step after the public hearing would be for council to either adopt or reject the plan.

Note: Following the open house meeting in February, county residents had an opportunity to submit comments and suggestions on the proposed plan. While no public report of the survey results has been given, the results were presented to the Inter-municipal Development Committee on April 24, 2017 and a copy of the comment summary has been received by the CCTA. Many of the concerns raised focussed on need and the cost of the proposed development. Positive comments were expressed relating to encouraging business development.

2. Rocky Ag. Rec. Facility  The Rocky Ag. Society held their fourth open house meeting on Wednesday, May 24, this time encouraging attendance by businesses that might be interested in support/sponsorship of the proposed facilities. Again, attendance was dismal with only 12 people in attendance (5 Ag. Society members and 7 general public). Strong opposition by a businessman was stated, noting the tough economy at this time. Other comments suggested concern that the Ag. Society would not hold title to the land, potentially hindering grant funding, and that the push for this building on the county’s north property may be a “ploy” to begin development that would then promote the building of the administration building.

The Ag. Society will be making a presentation to County Council sometime in June regarding further plans/action.

3. Improving Broadband Service  In May the Clearwater Broadband Foundation made presentations to both county council and the CCTA monthly meeting explaining their proposed plans. They continue to work hard to research the most efficient methods of providing service through a combination of towers and fibre optic cable. They had plans for a pilot project in 2017 but unfortunately these plans were stymied when county council turned down a request for a loan to support this project at their May 9th meeting.

During further discussion at that meeting two additional motions were put forward: a. To have administration contact the town of Olds to see how they approached the legalities of funding O’net, and b. To accept the CBF’s proposal for the establishment of a three party consulting/tech review committee to verify the most efficient provision of services. Both motions were defeated in recorded votes where Councillors Vandermeer, Duncan, and Laing voted in favor while Councillors Maki, Alexander, Graham, and Greenwood were opposed.

The CBF will continue to investigate further options and the county council has instructed administration to seek out other available options to improve broadband service in the county.

ROSES A very special bouquet of roses goes out this month to all the Rocky REA and Fortis line workers for their efforts during the recent wind and rain storm. When many of us were sitting inside bemoaning our loss of power for a few hours these dedicated people were outside in nasty, potentially dangerous conditions working to ensure our services were restored as quickly as possible. We send you a HUGE thank you for constantly putting your lives “on the line” for our benefit.

RANT Recently it was reported in the news that the city of Calgary was asking for resident opinion on two proposed ventures---bidding for the 2026 Winter Olympics and building a new arena to replace the Saddledome. Public opinion was being sought BEFORE any action was being taken.

I thought how differently a path had been taken here in Clearwater County when residents were kept “in the dark” about building plans until expensive land had been purchased and costly architectural designs created.

What if there had been a different perspective here, to seek--- and value--- the opinions of those paying the bill? Could money have been saved, and trust increased, if a survey had been mailed out with tax notices in May of 2015??

Hind sight is always 20-20, but likewise there is always clear opportunity to move forward in a positive direction. Maybe the civic elections in October might be the first step to initiate a change of attitude and “modus operandi” (method of operation) for Clearwater County.

Coming Events

Regular monthly meetings, 7:30PM, Leslieville Elks’ Hall: June 15, 2017, September 14, 2017; October 12, 2017

Also keep eyes open for further open house/public meeting on the Major Area Structure Plan.