MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS February 13, 2019
Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!
#1 Bonnyville Recreation Park Open House – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council will be hosting an Open House on March 4 at Shaw House on Vezeau Beach from 6 to 8:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed plans for the Bonnyville Outdoor Recreation Park. Consultants RC Strategies + PERC will be leading the discussion on proposed designs, cost and locations.
#2 Council Representatives Appointed to Rural Policing Committee – Councillors Ed Duchesne and Dana Swigart were appointed to the M.D. Rural Policing Committee. The municipality is now advertising for two Members at Large to sit on the committee. Applicants have to reside in the M.D., obtain a criminal history check from the RCMP and be able to attend monthly meetings. Applicants who are selected for this committee will be required to sign a confidentially agreement. Please submit of a letter of application, stating your interest and reasons for joining the committee to Director of Public Safety, Chris Garner at cgarner@md.bonnyville.ab.ca.
#3 M.D. Takes Over Vezeau Beach Campground and Boat Launch – Council agreed to proceed with finalizing the transfer of lands and operations of the Vezeau Beach Campground and boat launch to the M.D. Both the Lakeland Sports & Recreation Association and the Town of Bonnyville agreed to sell their properties that make up the Vezeau Beach Campground to the M.D. for $1. The continued operation and maintenance of the campground will be undertaken by the M.D.
#4 IDP Public Open House – The M.D. is hosting an Open House on Tuesday, February 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bonnyville Seniors Centre to discuss the Intermunicipal Development Plans (IDP) for the Village of Glendon and the Summer Villages of Bonnyville Beach and Pelican Narrows. The purpose of the Open House is to introduce and explain the three IDP projects and to define the desired future for lands identified within each IDP area and assess the opportunities, as well as the challenges, of planning for these lands. The lands are located along the boundary of these three municipalities within the M.D. A formal presentation is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. For those unable to attend the Open House, all presentation materials and a short survey will be available on each of the four municipal websites after the Open House.
#5 Crime Prevention Program – The Crime Prevention Officer is hosting Open Houses at the Fort Kent Senior’s Hall on Thursday, February 21 and Eastbourne Hall on Thursday, March 14. Both meetings start at 7 p.m. He will be talking about preventing vehicle theft and the free Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) property surveys. The officer is working on a number of CPTED property surveys for residents, as well as CPTEDs for the main M.D. Administration building and the Cold Lake M.D. Campground. Since the last Council report, Public Safety has received 18 vacant home check requests, resulting in 274 individual checks being done by officers during the occupants absence. At the end of each week, officers are given a list of crime prevention patrols to do during the upcoming week. The list ensures Public Safety is focusing on areas that have been targeted for vehicle theft and property crime. Our Analyst bases the list on calls from M.D. residents, comments and reports on various social media sites and information from the RCMP. The Public Safety Director met with the Cold Lake and Bonnyville RCMP to review the Terms of Reference for the Rural Policing Committee. The M.D. Public Safety Analyst will be the liaison for information sharing.
#6 Parks, Recreation and Culture Update – BR2 Architecture was chosen to undertake the Feasibility Study for the Regional Aquatics Facility at a cost of $35,000, which will be shared between the M.D. and the Town of Bonnyville. The warming cabin at Muriel Lake M.D. Park is completed. Users can come by the Parks Shop to get a unique pin code, which will give them access to the cabin to change and warm up. A fire pit and wood is also available for those wanting lunch after their ski or snowshoe. The initial meeting was held with the Town of Bonnyville, Village of Glendon and the City of Cold Lake to discuss the possibility of developing a Regional Recreation Master Plan. Cold weather is the hot topic, both for Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort and Parks. The Ridge was shut down the first weekend of February and into the second week. Despite that, January numbers were good, with 15 percent of revenue coming in three weeks. The Parks crew worked on indoor projects, with the exception of snow clearing. The next events on the agenda are Snow Fever and the 55 Plus Games in March. A request for proposal has been put out for the North Shore Heights portion of the trail plan with a deadline of February 14. The Parks crew has brushed the designated area for the snowmobile access through Cold Lake M.D. Park. A temporary gate will be used until a permanent one can be installed in the spring.
#7 Transportation and Utilities Update – The ice bridge was completed at the end of January for the repair of the Lessard Bridge supports. Construction should begin in the next couple of weeks, with consultants projecting an estimated completion date of April 15. The M.D. is bringing in 3,000 tonnes of calcium-treated sand this week because of the increase in use this winter. The haul will be completed in the next couple of weeks and the M.D. should have enough stockpiled for the rest of the season. The Brushing Crew is completing a one mile stretch on both sides of Border Road south of Cherry Grove. On February 6, there was an unauthorized release from the Fort Kent Sewage Lagoon. The Water & Sewer staff have been monitoring the situation with the increase in water elevation. WSP is providing engineering services on this release and will be following up with recommendations to the M.D. Alberta Environment and Parks have been notified, and the M.D. will be following up with their recommendations. Snow and ice removal is continuing with the recent snowfall and below normal temperatures. Crews are continuing snow removal in the hamlets of Ardmore and Fort Kent, with snow piles removed and placed on M.D. land. JMB completed their gravel haul to the M.D. yard on January 15 for the 2018 contract. Construction has started on the waterline between Cold Lake and Bonnyville with some pipe in the ground between Fort Kent and Bonnyville. Land agents are continuing with negotiations with a few residents along the proposed path.
#8 Public Safety News – The Public Safety Director met with representatives from CNRL Wolf Lake to discuss traffic concerns over increased amounts of aggressive driving and near misses experienced by workers using the La Corey North Resource Road. CNRL stated that they are anticipating an escalation in traffic volume due to an increase in their operations. CNRL wants to make sure Public Safety has some warning of the anticipated concerns that will arise due to more oil industry vehicles on the La Corey North road during peak traffic times. Early morning patrols have been increased on Range Road 630 between Cold Lake and Cherry Grove due to complaints about aggressive driving and speeders. A warning was issued to a resident after a complaint was received regarding snowmobilers cutting a farmer’s fence. Officers attended various collisions during the reporting period. There were two single vehicle collisions in the Dupre area. In another situation, a driver smashed down some of the wooden barriers at the Lessard Bridge due to a hallucinogenic drug episode. That driver was charged. Officers dealt with a complaint of garbage being dumped on the side of the road and of construction debris being left at the Cherry Grove bin site. Charges were issued in the latter incident. In the past month, officers have dealt with 10 dog complaints, most of which were related to dogs running at large. In some situations, tickets were issued and dogs were impounded.
#9 Ag and Waste Services Update – The M.D. and the County of St. Paul are hosting a Clubroot Information Session on Thursday, February 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Flat Lake Hall. There will be updates on municipal and provincial Clubroot status and speakers will be talking about other potential crops and markets. Please register by calling the ASB office at 780-826-3951. The Shelterbelt Program will roll out online at the end of February on the M.D. website at www.md.bonnyville.ab.ca. Approximately 8,500 trees and 24 different species have been ordered for 2019. Typically the program will provide trees to 130 residents that participate in the program. The Bonnyville Seed Cleaning Plant received a score of 95 percent on its annual inspection. The M.D. is currently getting its metal piles picked up at all landfills by the metal recycler. Freon was removed from all appliances at the landfill sites earlier in the season at no charge. The contract with K&K Recycling is in place until 2020.
#10 Funding Support – Council approved a $4,000 Community Action Grant request from the Cold Lake Minor Hockey Bantam T1 to host the Bantam A Provincials from March 14 to 17.
#11 School Resource Officer (SRO) Update – SROs have been focusing on providing the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) program to Grade 6 students. The program is a contribution to the sixth grade curriculum. Students learn about the history of forensics, how to lift and examine fingerprints and how to collect and examine evidence at the crime scene. SROs provided some individual sessions with students including: reading stories with life lessons to Kindergarten students; delivering the Healthy Relationships Program to Grade 8s; concerns about sexting and drug awareness; floor hockey with Outreach School students and Internet Safety and Self Defense sessions with Grade 9 and 10 girls.
#12 Briefly – The date of the Public Auction has been changed to Friday, March 29 at 2 p.m. from March 26. The M.D. received a $125,000 Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) program grant for the Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) Development project with the City of Cold Lake.
For more information, contact Diane Jenkinson, Marketing and Communications Manager at 780-826-3171. Our website is a useful way to get the information you need. Visit: www.md.bonnyville.ab.ca Follow us at facebook.com/MDBonnyville and Twitter @MDBville.