ST. PAUL – During the County of St. Paul Public Works meeting on Sept. 27, County council motioned to approve a joint application for the Alberta Crime Prevention Grant with several partners.
The Government of Alberta is offering one-time funding to municipalities through the Alberta Crime Prevention Grant for up to two years in 2022-23 and 2023-24. The grant will provide $25,000 to $150,000 a year in funding for Alberta-based programs or projects focused on the direct delivery of services or support for crime prevention or community safety and well-being.
County administration suggested an application for a project with the grant that’s similar to Barrhead and Area Regional Crime Coalition's (BARCC). According to Sheila Kitz, CAO, County of St. Paul, the BARCC has an app or program which allows residents to report suspicious activities and notifies residents of crime and public safety alerts. Additionally they use this tool to provide education on crime prevention.
The BARCC Connect app is a form of crime and public safety alert system that involves communication between the RCMP, municipalities, and the public. The alerts include traffic accidents with road closures, lockdown notifications, suspects at large, directions to avoid an area due to police activity, as well as missing persons.
Coun. Darrell Younghans said he likes the idea of a doing similar project and has seen successful “apps” focused on crime prevention resulting in increased and faster communication. “From what I’ve read here, I like the look of this program, and I would really like to get involved,” said Younghans.
“Maybe once we get the communities going, they’ll take it over themselves,” he said.
Road Projects
During the Public Works meeting, several road projects have also been reported to be completed, and with some still underway.
Director of Public Works Daniel Reid said the Armistice Road overlay has been completed, “and should hold out for a long time.” In addition, Reid said the road’s culvert extension has also been completed.
“We did the culvert expansion at the culvert where it was too short, and we had sharp edges there,” he said. “So, we ended up expanding all that this year between special projects and maintenance.”
According to information from the County of St. Paul, another road that has been reclaimed is Range Road 100 Airport Road. Range Road 105 Lafond Road has also been completed for 2022, but will require some attention in 2023.
Cold mix has also been completed for Range Road 103 Boscombe Road, and Range Road 42 at the Ross Lake access road.
Among the roads that have been reclaimed and relayed are Township Road 560 Lac Bellevue Road and Park Entrance, and Township Road 560 Gedeon Lake.
The rip and pack for Range Road 40 at Township Road 560-562 have also been completed for 2022, and oil is to be applied in 2023.
The following road projects have also been completed: Township Road 614 east toward the boundary, and Township Road 581A St Brides West. The Northern Valley CNRL Test Dust Controls have also been completed.
Several 2022 special projects by the Public Works staff have also been completed, including the drainage upgrade on Range Road 105 (Division 4), the Iron Horse Trail washout, and inlet repair for Bridge File 70924.
Projects in progress include the construction of Lac Bellevue’s boat launch, that began on Sept. 6 and is estimated to be completed on Oct. 28.
Other 2022 projects include the final reclamation for Ashmont Cell dry waste to begin Oct. 24, Labrecque pit reclamation, Lower Mann Lake and Lac St. Cyr Boat Launch parking lots, and MuniCor Trail east of Range Road 85 ditching.
