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 Red Deer Regional Airport . . . the centre for commercial aviation in Central Alberta 403-886-4388 |
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 Diverse, Interactive, Educational - Plane History A commemoration and celebration of the history of the Penhold military base Harvard Historical Aviation Society 403-886-5711 hhac@penholdbase.com |
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Twice
weekly scheduled flights to Calgary started today from Red Deer Regional
Airport by Northwestern Air Lease. The Fort Smith-based airline has been
flying out of the airport since December 2006 with two airplanes, four
pilots and support staff based here. The Calgary flights depart Tuesdays
and Thursdays at 7:15 am. From Calgary, the plane flies to Edmonton and
then to Peace River. The flight takes the opposite route back and
arrives back at the Red Deer airport at 3 pm.
An
engineer with Alberta High Speed Rail Inc. claims that Red Deer
passengers could be riding North America's first bullet train in as
little as five years if the provincial government decided to proceed
today. The company proposes that the Alberta government buys the land
and build the tracks. The company would then provide the trains, operate
and maintain the line. They estimate that taxpayers would only have to
invest $1.8 billion which would be returned over several years from a
small toll on each passenger ticket. The train would cut
travelling time from Red Deer to each of the province's two largest
cities to 42 minutes with trips running every hour from 6:30 am to 9:30
pm. A couple of possible station locations have been identified for the Red Deer
area including the Red Deer Regional Airport.
The
Red Deer Regional Airport has received word that the federal government
will be granting $2.1 million through the Airports Capital Assistance
Program to modernize runway, taxiway and apron lighting as well as
signage and other landing aids. Work on the upgrades is expected to
start in mid-summer with completion by fall. Next priority for the
airport authority is the replacement of 50-year-old water, storm water
and sewer infrastructure which is expected to commence within the next
two years as a result of recently-announced funding from the federal and
provincial governments. 
Red
Deer County Community Services is hosting an open house for landowners,
stakeholders and the general public on Wednesday, April 2 at the Harvard
Business Centre between 6 and 8 pm concerning the revised
Springbrook-Penhold Trail, a section of the Trans Canada Trail. The
proposed route will go through the treed area south of Springbrook and
along Range Road 281 toward the town of Penhold. The original route was
proposed to run along the old Highway 2A right of way immediately east
of the railway tracks. The Springbrook-Penhold trail will connect with
the future Springbrook trail along the east side of the creek in the
municipal reserve. It will eventually extend northward to Red Deer.
A
few people from Springbrook and the airport were present at the open
house for the revised Springbrook-Gasoline Major Area Structure Plan
held at Red Deer County Centre yesterday. The plan covers a very large
area (38 sections) that includes Springbrook, Red Deer Regional Airport,
the new Liberty Crossing residential area west of Gasoline Alley, both
west and east Gasoline Alley, industrial zones east of Gasoline Alley
and a future industrial/highway commercial area around the intersection
of Highways 2 and 42. The original plan that passed first reading two
years ago was modified as a result of the disputes between the city and
the county and the subsequent Intermunicipal Development Plan. The area
west of Red Deer College around the Red Deer County Centre which
included Fort Normandeau was dropped from the plan. The new plan is on
the Red Deer County website and is expected to go to county council in
late April.
The
Red Deer Regional Airport Authority claims that it is working towards
bringing more growth to the airport and its surrounding businesses in
spite of recent complaints from the newly resurrected Red Deer Regional
Airport Business Association. Authority Chairman Randy Preece says that
it takes time and money for some of the initiatives to begin. Both the
Authority and the Business Association agree that developing lots on
airport land will boost revenue, not only for the airport but for the
County as well. Road access on the airport's north side is a requirement
for that to happen. The airport's key stakeholders (Red Deer County,
City of Red Deer and Red Deer Chamber of Commerce) are currently
conducting a study to determine the best future direction of the
airport.
The
new 10-screen Galaxy Cinema opened yesterday in Gasoline Alley near
Costco with rave reviews. The theatre has 2,000 stadium seats,
wall-to-wall curved screens and digital surround sound. It offers pizza,
chicken tenders and frozen yogurt in addition to the usual theatre
treats. It also offers an interactive games area, party room and
automated ticketing kiosks. In the future, the theatre expects to offer
live screenings of NHL games, concerts and performances of the
Metropolitan Opera from New York.
Representatives
from 18 businesses and a number of private pilots have resurrected the
Red Deer Regional Airport Business Association, after not functioning
for six years, because they were concerned with the airport's current
fiscal deficit and the apparent lack of a viable long-term strategy. The
association would rather see the authority focus on charter flights,
general aviation and non-aviation commercial businesses rather than on
attracting scheduled passenger service. They recently released its
Airport Improvement Plan that suggests developing lots on airport lands
would generate millions of dollars of revenue, eliminating the airport's
dependence on government grant money for improvements and increasing
user fees for operating income. Red Deer County returns up to 80% of
airport business taxes to the airport authority. This year, that amounts
to almost $98,000, up from $82,000 in 2007. The city of Red Deer will
give a $185,000 grant this year -- $40,000 for capital and $145,000 for
operating. Last year's operating expenses were $672,000. The airport had
a lot of aging infrastructure when the federal government transferred
the airport into local hands many years ago, resulting in the need for
$25 million in improvements.
The
first phase of what is expected to be an $11.5 million project to fix a
long-standing need to replace water and sewer infrastructure throughout
the hamlet of Springbrook was awarded by Red Deer County today. AIC
Construction Ltd. is expected to start construction of the $1.6 million
first phase in May. Six tenders were received for the project that was
first announced in 2005. The overall project could take up to five years
to complete and there will be some disruption to traffic and parking.
Funding for the project includes $6 million from Canada-Alberta
Municipal Rural Infrastructure Funding (CAMRIF) announced in December,
$3 million from Red Deer County and $2.5 million from a separate funding
program by Alberta Transportation and Infrastructure. Currently, the
county spends $200,000 per year to clean 71 million litres of
groundwater that infiltrates the water system.
