Archived Springbrook and Area News
December 2005

Dec. 29, 2005
Young Hockey Players Exposed to Carbon Monoxide at Arena
A large new fan and two inlets to allow fresh air into the Springbrook arena were installed on Wednesday after several young hockey players displayed symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning during a hockey tournament for seven and eight year olds on Tuesday. The source had been the exhaust of ice cleaning equipment being used more often than normal and the poor placement of fans in the building built in 1954 for curling when the area was RCAF Penhold.

Dec. 27, 2005
Multi-screen Theatre to be Built in Gasoline Alley
Landmark Cinemas has received approval from Red Deer County to build a 12 screen theatre west of Staples in Gasoline Alley. Two restaurants are included in the proposed development. A schedule for construction will likely be announced in the next couple of weeks.

Dec. 21, 2005
County Plans Major Capital Projects
County Council passed first reading of a by-law that would pave the way for $27.8 million in capital projects for the coming year. It includes $9.1 million for upgrading and building roads, close to $1 million for the Springbrook fire hall, several million for upgrading the water and sewer infrastructure in Springbrook and setting up recycle depots in Benalto and Springbrook. A new road is to be built linking Gasoline Alley with Highway 2A. Due to the booming economy and government grants, the projects shouldn't increase the taxes of ratepayers.

Dec. 13, 2005
Delayed Track Maintenance Was Cause of Springbrook Train Derailment
The Transportation Safety Board has released a report on the March 2004 train derailment northeast of Springbrook. Several cars of a 70-car Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed at 4:30 am March 4, 2004 when residents of a nearby trailer park were temporarily evacuated due to one of the cars leaking residue of anhydrous ammonia. Faulty rail joint bars, tie plates and loose bolts were discovered and contributed to the incident. CPR has since stepped up maintenance of the busy line between Calgary and Edmonton.

Dec. 10, 2005
Air Show Postponed to 2007
Due to volunteer burnout, a significant increase in insurance and scheduling conflicts, the Red Deer International Airshow Committee has decided to postponed the show till the summer of 2007.

Dec. 7, 2005
Change of Name for Red Deer Regional Airport
The Red Deer Regional Airport Authority has decided to change the name of the airport to 'The Regional Airport Red Deer'. Along with the name change is a new logo as part of its branding of the airport so more people recognize that the facility is one of the busiest regional airports in the province expecting more than 40,000 aircraft movements this year. There have been approximately 7,500 scheduled passengers and well over 12,000 charter passengers. Apparently there are people living in the area that either aren't aware of the existence of the facility or its significance or still think of it as the old military air training base. The new branding will be part of an extensive promotional campaign in the coming months.
Airport Upgrades to Cost $16 Million
A consulting company hired by Alberta Economic Development released a 100 page report recently on the needs of the Red Deer Regional Airport. It found that in order for the airport to grow and meet its potential in coming years, major infrastructure improvements will need to be done. Part of it is for upgrading aging current infrastructure like water, sewer and lighting and some is for expansion of the main runway and terminal. These upgrades will need to be done within the next ten years in order for the airport to expand to meet current goals. This report and a similar earlier report states that the airport generates between $40 and $80 million to the regional economy. The Authority is seeking funding from all levels of government.
Long Term Vision Proposed for Red Deer Area Development
Red Deer County is attempting to formulate a vision with the City of Red Deer for long term growth strategies as the city continues to expand into County land. The County is proposing that the city expand southeast, east, northeast, north and west and leave southern and southwestern expansion to the County for the balance of the century. The Springbrook Waskasoo area is in the southwestern area that the County wants to develop. A long term co-ordinated effort on the part of both jurisdictions will reduce the possibilities of incompatible and incoherent growth as well as future conflicts between the jurisdictions. The city is prepared to discuss the proposal but has yet to agree to it. The current inter-municipal plan is expected to be updated in the near future.
 
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