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Springbrook,
Alberta is a hamlet in the County of Red Deer, Canada, developed
after the sale of
Canadian Forces Base Penhold to private developers in
1995. The original residential area built in the early
1950's was once called
Mynarski Park, named after a World War II fighter pilot
hero who died saving another as their plane went down in
combat.
The hamlet includes what was once the active military base,
now referred to as Harvard Park, and includes a training facility,
several businesses and a new residential area. The barracks area is
still used for cadet training in the summer.
Aerial photos Fall 2007

Adjoining Springbrook is the Red Deer Regional Airport, home
to several businesses, most of which are aviation related. The
airport was once the home of the Red Deer International Air Show.
There is also located a well-known cafe near the terminal.
Situated in the centre of one
of the fastest growing economic and transportation corridors in
the country, Springbrook has a current year round population of
over
1000 but will likely expand dramatically over the next five to
ten years.
Located about 7 km. from the city of Red Deer and
about 4 km. from the town of Penhold, Springbrook is
adjacent to the main Edmonton-Calgary Canadian Pacific Railway line
and Highway 2A. About 1 km. east is Queen Elizabeth
2 Highway, part of the Canamex north-south continental
highway system. Also nearby are Gasoline Alley (a commercial and industrial strip
south of Red Deer), the Red Deer River, the historic
Calgary and Edmonton Trail and
a major trestle across the river on the abandoned right of
way of the
Alberta Central Railway
.
The community boasts a
private recreational facility built for the
armed forces that includes a gymnasium, weight room, theatre (now
the community centre), curling rink (now a
hockey training
facility),
a general store, restaurant-lounge, 3 new playgrounds (one named after
A.C. Mynarski), an
all-purpose pad, a new fire hall and meeting and training facilities.
There has recently been added a natural park with trails south
of the community and a unique short-flight golf course has
opened at the entrance to Springbrook.
Future plans include the expansion of the airport,
residential
and industrial development, a new major sports field, an
elementary school, a
new community centre, new trails including a section of the Trans
Canada Trail, an aviation museum, a second road access, and possibility high speed rail in the next 10 years.
(proposed Heritage Urban Design
Plan 2007)
Waskasoo
Creek meanders along the Hwy. 2A - CPR corridor from
south-east of Penhold, past Springbrook, through Red Deer
College to the Red Deer River in central Red Deer. Waskasoo
is a Cree word for 'red elk' or 'wapiti', named after the
abundance of elk in the area. The Red Deer River was named
by the aboriginals as 'Waskasoo Seepee' or 'Elk River'. The
early settlers renamed it after thinking the local elk were
related to the 'red deer' of Scotland.
The Waskasoo Recreation and Culture Board was one of
several recreation boards formed by Red Deer County
replaced by the Division 3 Recreation and Culture Board in 2008.
The Waskasoo Regional Sewer System that
runs from Penhold to Red Deer with a lift station in Springbrook is currently
functioning at 10% of capacity, so there is lots of room for
growth.
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