A group of residents living along the same stretch of road in the MD of Bonnyville want the municipality to consider other options than MG30, a product used for dust control.
Sixteen property owners on Twp. Rd. 595, Twp. Rd. 595a, Twp. Rd. 593a, and Range Rd. 445 signed a petition opposing the use of calcium on their roads, noting issues of rust, damaged vehicles, and other concerns.
In a letter addressed to the MD of Bonnyville, residents stressed that the increase in traffic volume causes ruts, rough patches, excessive dust, and packed ice throughout the winter months.
During council's regular meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 28, CAO Luc Mercier explained how the letter doesn't meet the Municipal Government Act's requirements, however, that doesn't mean they shouldn't address the issue.
"This petition isn't a valid petition as of the MGA, which requires 10 per cent of the population to sign it, so that means it doesn't meet those requirements," detailed Mercier. "I do need to say, this is still an official request from residents to have a road considered for paving for the reasons outlined in their letter."
Coun. Marc Jubinville agreed that something needs to be done.
"Most of them don't want to see (MG30) on that road. That road has been an issue, basically since I've come onto council, and I'm not sure that it needs to be paved, but it may need to be upgraded somehow."
He continued, "There's some added oil activity that's taken place in the last two or three years, which poses a problem for dust and traffic."
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Alberta Environment agrees to remove Moose Lake weir
"Alberta Environment's intent is to remove the Moose Lake weir," Mercier said.
High water levels on Moose Lake has been a concern for residents in the area since 2017, when it caused flooding to homes, properties, and fields.
Landowners in the Moose Lake area blamed the weir for the high water levels.
The province kept this in mind when determining whether to keep or remove the weir.
A letter to the MD from Carlin Soehn, operations infrastructure manager for Alberta Environment and Parks, said the province had a third party investigation conducted, which concluded that due to the ineffective nature of the weir, it was more beneficial to remove the structure and return the lake to its natural state.
They will begin the process of removing the structure in the fall, however, council isn't so sure it's the weir that's the problem.
"The water is the same height on both sides of the weir," noted Coun. Dana Swigart, adding the MD should look into what's really causing the flooding issues.
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MD denies mobile seed cleaning operation's request for funding
Council denied the Johnson Family Farm Mobile Seed Cleaning's request for $500,000 to upgrade their facilities.
The municipality felt the private business' operations differed from the Co-op Seed Cleaning Plant, which is receiving $500,000 of MD monies for facility updates.
"A little difference between these two operations, is this one is a privately-funded operation, it's not a co-op like the one in Bonnyville," explained general manager of agriculture, waste, and protective services, Matt Janz. "The portable Johnson Family Farm isn't provincially inspected or municipally inspected."
Generally, a seed cleaning plant that operates within the province must go through inspections in order to be approved.
According to Janz, the Johnson Family Farm has had some inspections completed, however, they failed or refused to take part in the sampling inspections, which are part of the overall process.
"Over the past four or five years, they've run without any provincial or municipal inspections within the MD of Bonnyville," he said, adding the business can still operate without annual inspections.
Council lends a financial hand
The Riverhurst Hall was granted over $48,000 from the MD through their community association capital grant. The funds will be used to replace old insulation, add a vapour barrier, and upgrade lights to LED.
Residents to be informed
The MD of Bonnyville will be informing residents about their plans for trail construction from Range Rd. 482 to Range Rd. 485.
An open house has been scheduled for Sept. 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Glendon Seniors Drop-In centre. The event will be set-up with information posters outlining trail construction, and will offer an opportunity for residents to ask questions and provide feedback.
Mapping out their budget timeline
During discussions about the MD's timeline for their 2020 budget talks, council agreed that public consultation is vital to the process.
From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 5, 7, and 18, residents will have a chance to give feedback and learn all there is to know about the municipality's 2020 budget.
The MD will host the information sessions throughout the municipality, with further details to become available closer to the time of the events.
Road classification map brought back to the table
Council discussed their road classification map once again during their meeting, outlining additional roads for consideration.
Jubinville noted Range Rd. 595a, which has been petitioned by residents, as something the MD needs to consider. Swigart felt the roadway commonly known as "Tower Road" should be added.
"All I'm asking you to do is take a look at it, it's a dangerous road," he stated.
Municipal Affairs confirms MSI monies
A letter from Alberta Municipal Affairs confirmed that the MD of Bonnyville would be seeing their 2019 contribution.
The interim Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) capital allocation for the municipality in 2019 is over $2.2-million, including $1.7-million in MSI capital and $484,00 in Basic Municipal Transportation Grant funding.
The MSI operational contribution for 2019 is just over $157,000.
The letter also notes the MD's Gas Tax Fund for the year, which is more than $1.3-million.
Town gives green light for MD to use grounds for rec park
Although concrete details weren't available, council was pleased to hear that the future location of their park could very well be within the Town of Bonnyville, after receiving a letter confirming the town would be on board with the MD using their land.
The property is located at the west end of town. Currently, the town has plans to build a dog park in the southeast corner, and intends to connect the MD's trail at the southwest end of town and the 66 St. trail through the south-side of the parcel.
The two municipalities have agreed to work together moving forward, with the topic coming back to council for further discussion.
