MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS July 22, 2020
Keeping you informed of the services, business and development that affect YOU!
#1 Flooding Issues Map Approval – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council approved the M.D. Flooding Issues Map. They also directed Administration to bring back a priority map, outlining projects that should be considered by the municipality to resolve ongoing issues and the timing of such work. Council will then look at the flooding priorities during budget deliberations.
#2 Vezeau Beach Paving Contract Awarded – Council awarded the $968,100 Vezeau Beach Campground Road, Parking Lot and Trail Rehabilitation paving contract to E Construction – A Division of N.P.A. Ltd. Funding will come from the 2020 Parks Capital Budget of $1,019,500 and $30,000 to be funded from Capital Grants for the paving of four wheelchair-accessible campsites.
#3 Dock Location Changes On Angling Lake – Council approved the sale of a M.D. dock for $1 to the Beaverdam Community Society. The dock will now be installed on Angling Lake, just north of the previous location, in the public campground run by the society. The society agreed to take the dock for their own use, as the previous location was on private property.
#4 Planning And Development Statistics – The Planning and Development Department received two building permits in April worth $37,000, 12 building permits in May worth $858,500 and 27 building permits in June worth $930,050, bringing the year-to-date total of 77 permits to $3,823,155. Housing starts for 2020 include six Single Family Dwellings and two Mobile Homes. In 2020, the M.D. has received nine subdivision applications.
#5 COVID Rental Waiver – Council approved waiving the $7,875 rental fees for June, July and August for Premier Academy (Cheerleading), as the business could not operate under COVID-19 restrictions. Premier Academy leases the old M.D. Peace Officer’s Building on Railway Avenue in Bonnyville. Due to the pandemic, the Academy is not able to have full classes because cheerleading is a contact sport. The funds that are collected pay the utilities on the building.
#6 Search For Septic Solutions – Council directed Administration to review options and the feasibility of enhancing a septic receiving station at the Ardmore Sewage Lagoon, and to bring back results to Council. Currently there are issues at the lagoon due to 14 commercial septic haulers dumping in the facility. The sludge-concentrated loads being dumped are increasing the sludge volume and creating issues with the treatment process, plugging transfer pipes and requiring the need to de-sludge the lagoon more often. The Ardmore Lagoon is being used because of its central location in the M.D. The increased hauling resulted in two cells requiring de-sludging this year at an additional cost of $30,000. To monitor users, quantity and time, a septic receiving station can be installed at a cost of $100,000. Options to be looked at in the feasibility study include: 1. Keeping status quo, 2. Closing all M.D. facilities to outside commercial haulers, 3. Implementing a charge to haulers to recover maintenance costs due to increased loading or 4. Expanding cells at the Fort Kent and Therien lagoons.
#7 Waterline Open House – The Bonnyville Regional Water Services Commission is hosting an Open House on July 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Cold Lake Courtyard Marriott Hotel. The Open House will cover the proposed application for an inter-basin transfer for a waterline extension to service Frog Lake First Nation. Future connections will also be considered to Elizabeth Metis and Fishing Lake Metis settlements. For more information and map, please go to www.md.bonnyville.ab.ca.
#8 Request For Reduction In Environmental Approval Wait Times – To date in 2020, the Municipal District of Bonnyville has received Alberta Environment and Parks approval for three projects. The municipality is awaiting Ministerial approval on four additional projects, with more applications slated to move forward to the department. Reeve Greg Sawchuk has sent a letter to MLA Dave Hanson expressing the municipality’s concern regarding the wait times for environmental approvals. “These wait times have inhibited the M.D.’s ability to effectively manage recent vital infrastructure issues, which, in most cases, are creating a negative impact on our residents,” Reeve Sawchuk wrote in the letter.
#9 Funding Support – Council agreed to enter one team, at a cost of $400, in the Ronald McDonald House 6th Annual Lakeland Region Charity Golf Classic on August 15 at the Cold Lake Golf and Winter Club.
#10 Briefly – Council agreed to reach out to local shooting sports associations to collect their concerns regarding the firearm criminal code amendments made by the Federal government on May 1, 2020. The intent of Council is to forward these concerns with the legislation to the Federal government.