Rocky View County (RVC) council will continue under the leadership of Reeve Greg Boehlke and Deputy Reeve Earl Solberg for one more year, after both councillors received their titles by acclamation at council’s annual organizational meeting Oct. 25.
Voting on the Reeve and Deputy Reeve proceeded as scheduled despite a request from Councillor Jerry Arshinoff to postpone the election. Health concerns prevented him from attending the meeting and he had indicated interest in participating in the nomination process. However, a motion to delay the vote was defeated 6-2, with support from councillors Liz Breakey and Margaret Bahcheli.
Bahcheli pointed out that the Reeve and Deputy Reeve voting at last year’s organizational meeting was delayed by several weeks to allow newly elected councillor Eric Lowther the opportunity to participate in the process.
Tree farm proposed
Council unanimously approved a redesignation on land northwest of Airdrie to accommodate a proposed tree farm operation. Located at the northwest junction of Highway 772 and Township Road 282, the business will be contained within a proposed 20.01-acre parcel, with a 128.09-acre remainder.
“The land is currently used for cultivation, which the owners have been farming with a neighbour due to the high costs of farming machinery,” said RVC planner Andrea Bryden. “The proposed tree farm is a more intensive operation that requires smaller equipment and could be located to the west of the dwelling.”
Planning recognition
RVC, in association with McElhanney and MVH Urban Planning and Design, was named the recipient of an Alberta Professional Planners Institute (APPI) Award of Merit at the APPI’s annual conference Oct. 3. The award was presented in the Design Plan Category for the Bragg Creek Revitalization Plan.
“These awards are given each year by APPI to recognize exemplary planning within the planning profession,” said RVC planner Amy Zaluski. “The award acknowledges meritorious plans and projects of the Institute that significantly contribute to the livability of communities in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.”
Langdon joint use site
Council approved a request for additional funding for the preliminary development of the Langdon Joint Use Site, following a workshop held with administration and council Oct. 4 to discuss the site’s history, previous commitments and a path forward for the project.
The Langdon Joint Use Site is a 45-acre parcel within the hamlet, jointly owned by Rocky View Schools and RVC. The site is slated to contain a future high school, recreational facility and play fields, all to be constructed in phases. A budget adjustment of $260,000 has been approved to cover the County’s portion of the preliminary site access and servicing scope of work on the site.
Policy amendment
An amendment to a community recreation funding policy approved by council will assign the Regional Recreation Board functions and responsibilities to the Policy and Priorities Committee (PPC). According to RVC’s manager of recreation services Corwin McCullagh, there was a “high degree of duplication” in function and responsibility between the two boards.
“As the composition and function of the two committees are the same, we are confident that all regional funding requests can be addressed through regularly scheduled PPC meetings, with an amendment (to the policy),” McCullagh said.
