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More Springbrook and Area News
January 2006

Jan. 24, 2006
Discussion on Area Structure Plan Postponed
Red Deer County Council delayed first reading of the Gasoline Alley Springbrook Area Structure Plan on Tuesday, Jan. 24, a direct result of delaying the adoption of four other major documents. The Corporate Strategy Plan, in development for almost two years, was presented to Council but some councillors wanted more time to study the four-part document before adopting it. The Growth Management Strategy, the Economic Growth Strategy, the new Municipal Development Plan and the new Land Use Bylaw were all postponed to another Council meeting. This in turn, delayed the first reading of the Area Structure Plan as it is based on the adoption of the overall plan.

Jan. 20, 2006
Springbrook Area Structure Plan to be Discussed at County Council Soon
The Gasoline Alley - Springbrook Area Structure Plan which encompasses a large area south and southwest of Red Deer to Highway 42 will be presented to Red Deer County Council on Tues. Jan. 24. The County anticipates two major residential communities within the area --  Springbrook and Gasoline Alley (tentatively being called Creek Crossing Village) -- each with an ultimate population of between 5 to 10,000 residents, possibly within the next 5 to 10 years. The Plan also calls for a large area of light industrial on the east side of Highway 2 to 30 Ave., north of McKenzie Road and immediately south of Red Deer. One area east of Petrolia Park and west of Piper Creek, tentatively called Piper Creek Business Park, has already had considerable interest and is already being prepared for servicing even though the Area Structure Plan and rezoning have not officially been adopted by Council. Several information meetings were held with residents and interested stakeholders last spring and fall.

Jan. 19, 2006
Red Deer County Presents Process for Divisional Boundary Review
A handful of residents from Springbrook and the eastern part of the County were on hand Thursday, Jan. 19 at the Harvard Park Business Centre to hear about how the County is proceeding with changes to the divisional boundaries. Two factors initiated the review - the probability of the Reeve being elected at large in the next election with a reduction in the number of divisions from seven to six, and the growing imbalance in population of the current divisions. Division 7 (from Penhold north to the Blindman River on the west side of Highway 2 and Red Deer, including Springbrook and Gasoline Alley) has twice the number of residents as any other division at 4,887 or 27% of the total. Division 1 (the east side of the County near Delburne and Elnora), on the other hand, has only 1,811 or 10% of the residents. A committee of 4 non-residents and a consulting company will be presenting the preliminary options to Council Feb. 7 and further consultation with County residents will occur shortly after. It's likely that the recommendations will include two divisions east of Highway 2 and four west of Highway 2. Division 7 will likely be smaller in size as the projected population of the area will increase by 5 to 10,000 over the next 10 years if the expanding economy continues to flourish.

Jan. 18, 2006
Gasoline Alley Community Plan Proposed
On Jan. 17, Red Deer County was presented with a consultant's framework proposal for the development of Gasoline Alley that could include not only the current light industrial and commercial but also a pedestrian friendly residential cluster of 5 to 8,000 people, tentatively called Creek Crossing Village, a school, park and trail area. The focal point of the area would be a main street, tentatively called 'the Cruise', with an automotive theme, including dealerships, retailers, farmers markets and possibly a car museum. It would be anchored by a multi-screen movie theatre that has already been announced. The area consists of the land between Highway 2 and 2A from the southern limit of Red Deer to McKenzie Road. A similar plan could be developed on the east side of Highway 2.

Jan. 17, 2006
Infrastructure Meeting Addresses Many Questions
About 20 Springbrook residents attended a meeting at the Harvard Park Business Centre on Thursday, Jan. 17 along with representatives of the County of Red Deer, Epcor and Tagish Engineering. Fifty year old water, storm sewer and sanitary sewer lines will be replaced over the next two years and all roads reconstructed. The work is expected to start in the residential area in May. Officials assured those present that disruptions would be kept to a minimum. Utility services will be shut off for very short periods of time and access to property would be limited to less than a day, in most cases, during construction. All residents will be notified in advance of when disruptions would occur on their street. The entire project is budgeted at $10.5 million but tenders haven't come in yet so it's possible that the project could go higher. Most of the funding will come from provincial and federal grants but a portion may come from a long term loan by the County. The County hopes that the upgrade will eliminate ground water leaking into the sanitary sewer system which is ultimately treated in Red Deer. Last year the County paid $200,000 more to the City for sewage treatment than it recovered from fees charged to Springbrook ratepayers and the upgrades should significantly reduce the costs of treatment. The County is hoping residents will co-operate, not only during the construction, but afterwards as well by making sure sump pump water isn't fed into the sanitary system. After the streets are reconstructed, a second layer of asphalt will be laid on most streets next year with final grading to finish with a high grade road, although the streets will end up no wider than they are currently.

Jan. 11, 2006
County Says No Tax Increase This Year
No cuts in service, no tax rate increases and an increased capital budget are indications that the booming economy is working in Red Deer County's favour. And that also benefits Springbrook. The upgraded and over budget fire hall gets completed, work starts on upgrading the hamlet's infrastructure, and a recycling depot is planned. Also in the capital works is a new road between Hwy. 2A and Gasoline Alley. However, tax bills may be higher anyway as property values have increased.

Jan. 9, 2006
Several Successful Community Association Events Gratifying
Two bingos, New Year's Eve Party, Christmas carol sleigh ride and Christmas lighting contest have all been successful events over the past three weeks. The Springbrook Community Association reports that it was plenty of community participation that made the events as great as they were. The two bingos, almost back to back, were particularly gratifying in that it has been difficult to find enough people on a monthly basis to volunteer and yet 12 people volunteered for the Dec. 30 bingo and 10 for the Jan. 3 one. At the New Year's Eve party, some exceptional door prizes were distributed including a flight lesson courtesy of Sky Wings Aviation, Rebels hockey tickets courtesy of Scott Key, and great prizes from Soma Works, The Landing Zone, Body Basic, AES Industrial Supply and the Community Association. The 1st place winner in the Christmas lighting contest went to 192 Tamarac Blvd.

Jan. 4, 2006
County to Hold Infrastructure Meeting in Springbrook on the 17th
A meeting to inform residents of Springbrook about the upcoming infrastructure improvements is scheduled for Tuesday, January 17th from 7 to 9 pm at the Harvard Park Business Centre. The multi-million dollar project will replace all the old water and sewer lines in the hamlet, many over 50 years old, and will take two years to complete. During that time, there is expected to be delays, road closures and inconvenience to residents.

 
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