A member of the Lethbridge Bulls slides back into first base while Okotoks Dawgs first baseman Steve Kletke awaits the throw during the Dawgs’ home opener on Friday night at Seaman Stadium. The Bulls spoiled the Dawgs’ debut winning 6-2, but they could not damper the atmosphere as more than 6,000 attended the three-game homestand. For more on the Dawgs see Sports Sec. II. photo by John Barlow |
Busing
decision
delayed
By Pamela Keith
staff reporter
Whether or not the Foothills School Division (FSD) will be ordered by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge to go back and consult with stakeholders before cutting a series of rural bus routes won’t be revealed for two weeks.
Lawyers for the FSD and a newly formed parent’s group presented their arguments for the judicial review in Court of Queen’s Bench last Thursday, along with the lengthy history of the controversial case.
The court heard how in June 2001, the FSD board of trustees passed a transportation policy to discontinue ‘grandfathering’ of transportation for schools of choice students.
This means that students who attend out-of-boundary schools will have to meet the bus within its route and pay a transportation fee – a move that would save the school division approximately $200,000, but affect nearly 300 students.
According to the minutes of the June 7, 2006 school board meeting, trustees voted unanimously to implement a recommendation from administration to change the 400 metres walk limit between pickup points to a maximum of 800 metres and discontinue ‘grandfathering’ entirely.
A group of parents attended the Oct. 4 board meeting and asked trustees to rescind the decision, however, they were told by board chair Jerry Muelaner, “There is no will by any board member to bring forth a motion to rescind the grandfather clause.”
In court documents written on behalf of the parents, it was stated that the board made an error in the manner in which it went about making the decision in that it failed to act in accordance with the procedure of consulting with parents as it has promised to follow before making the decision.
“There is a history of consulting with parents through the school council. There is, with respect, a need to involve the parents in the discussion of transportation issues,” said the parents group lawyer Brian Davison. “There was no doubt in any of the people’s minds who attended this meeting that there was going to be consultation before a decision.”
FSD lawyer Karen Munro emphasized the fact the board made the June 7 decision within the legislative context for school transportation as set out in the School Act.
Court documents on behalf of the FSD state the board has historically provided significantly better transportation than required by the School Act or the Student Transportation Act. The practice of ‘grandfathering’ continued for some years, despite long-standing board policy to the contrary and a great deal of board and community discussion of the issue.
“The board consulted a great deal, struggled a great deal and continued to provide a service,” said Munro. “There was a point where the board had to say, ‘We’re done with it.’”
The court proceedings are estimated to cost the school division between $10,000 and $20,000.
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Sirocco development gets first reading
A proposed subdivision that would include 300 homes in the MD of Foothills just west of the town limits has resulted in staunch opposition from the Town of Okotoks.
Last Thursday a public hearing was held at the Foothills MD council chambers in High River for the area structure plan and redesignation of 419 acres to facilitate the development of Sandstone Springs. The proposal, which is on land owned by Joseph Drisdale would include 230 residential lots for single family homes and another 70 patio homes in a bareland condominium project.
Although the proposal did not result in much opposition from neighbouring landowners, Okotoks Mayor Bill McAlpine said the town is vehemently against the proposal due to its potential impact on Okotoks’ water and infrastructure.
“We are concerned about a major subdivision on our outskirts and how it will impact the town’s recreational facilities, traffic on Big Rock Trail and it is upstream of our water supply what are they going to do with their waste water and will their water needs impact flow in the Sheep River,” said McAlpine.
“This is a high density subdivision right on the border of our community and that worries us, plain and simple,” added McAlpine. “And this is just the first one.”
The Town of Okotoks submitted a letter of concern to the MD of Foothills in regards to the Sandstone proposal and asked the MD council to postpone last Thursday’s public hearing until both councils have had an opportunity to discuss the proposal. Okotoks council stated they believe the Sandstone proposal does not conform to the Intermunicipal Development Plan that both councils agreed upon.
“(The applications) do not, in our view, conform to the mutually agreed to principles for residential development with the Town of Okotoks/MD of Foothills Intermunicipal Development Plan which makes for provision within portions of the IDP plan area surrounding Okotoks for relatively low density country residential development,” stated Okotoks subdivision planner Teresa Carte in a letter to the Foothills MD council.
The Foothills MD council did not make a decision on the application voting to table the matter so council could tour the site which is bordered by Highway 7 to the south and Big Rock Trail to the north.
Foothills MD Councillor Terry Waddock admitted he did have some concerns in regards to the water that would be needed to service 300 homes.
“Groundwater is more of a concern because it is a limited resource and this is a significant development that relies entirely on groundwater,” said Waddock.
Continued on page 3
The Sandstone development will be serviced with three wells that will have to be licenced with Alberta Environment and the wells will supply a communal potable water system for the 300 residences. The wells will only supply potable water as water for irrigation is proposed to be serviced through rain water and storm run off that will be stored in the wetlands on the property. In addition, each home will be metered for potable water and irrigation.
According to Urban Systems, the design firm for the development, the project will require an average of 270 cubic metres of water per day with a maximum of 400 cubic metres per day. The three wells will supply about 500 cubic metres of water per day.
In addition, the developer stated the wells on the property are not hydrologically connected to the Sheep River. That is key as there is a water licence moratorium on the Sheep River meaning the wells could not be licenced if it was deemed they would impact the Sheep River.
Not all residents in the region agreed that such a high density development was prudent either due to concerns with groundwater. Although the majority who attended the hearing did not oppose the development, they did voice concerns with regards to the impact the development would have on neighbouring wells.
In terms of density, Sandstone Springs proposes about 1.4 units per acre whereas other recent proposals are higher including Sirocco, which is proposing about 1,500 homes on 955 acres (1.5 units per acre) and Heritage Pointe Phase 3 which includes 304 residences on 137 acres (2.12 units per acre). However, the MD also recently turned down the Saddle Spring development near Millarville which included 85 units on 629 acres or 0.13 units per acre.
In addition to the 300 residences, Sandstone Springs includes more than 42 acres of environmental reserve around the 30 acres of wetlands that bisects the property, 41 acres of municipal reserve and an eight kilometre trail system.
Craig Johnson of New North Projects Ltd., which is a partner in the development, said the Sandstone Springs project is a unique proposal that will be an asset to the community.
“This is an extraordinary property with extraordinary mountain views,” said Johnson. “The sandstone ridges and wetlands give this land unique characteristics. We will try hard to preserve the natural landscape.”
As for the town’s concerns the developers agreed water is a key issue and they are sensitive to the use of groundwater which is why they needed to ensure the wells were not going to impact the Sheep River and why each home will be metered to encourage water conservation.
Dave Nixon, president of Dream West Homes, attended the public hearing and stated additional development is needed to meet demand and Okotoks is simply unwilling to meet that demand.
“In my opinion Okotoks has shut itself off by closing its doors to development,” said Nixon. “This is a fabulous opportunity and it shows great foresight by the MD to step up to the plate when Okotoks has closed its doors.”
A proposed subdivision that would include 300 homes in the MD of Foothills just west of the town limits has resulted in staunch opposition from the Town of Okotoks.
Last Thursday a public hearing was held at the Foothills MD council chambers in High River for the area structure plan and redesignation of 419 acres to facilitate the development of Sandstone Springs. The proposal, which is on land owned by Joseph Drisdale would include 230 residential lots for single family homes and another 70 patio homes in a bareland condominium project.
Although the proposal did not result in much opposition from neighbouring landowners, Okotoks Mayor Bill McAlpine said the town is vehemently against the proposal due to its potential impact on Okotoks’ water and infrastructure.
“We are concerned about a major subdivision on our outskirts and how it will impact the town’s recreational facilities, traffic on Big Rock Trail and it is upstream of our water supply what are they going to do with their waste water and will their water needs impact flow in the Sheep River,” said McAlpine.
“This is a high density subdivision right on the border of our community and that worries us, plain and simple,” added McAlpine. “And this is just the first one.”
The Town of Okotoks submitted a letter of concern to the MD of Foothills in regards to the Sandstone proposal and asked the MD council to postpone last Thursday’s public hearing until both councils have had an opportunity to discuss the proposal. Okotoks council stated they believe the Sandstone proposal does not conform to the Intermunicipal Development Plan that both councils agreed upon.
“(The applications) do not, in our view, conform to the mutually agreed to principles for residential development with the Town of Okotoks/MD of Foothills Intermunicipal Development Plan which makes for provision within portions of the IDP plan area surrounding Okotoks for relatively low density country residential development,” stated Okotoks subdivision planner Teresa Carte in a letter to the Foothills MD council.
The Foothills MD council did not make a decision on the application voting to table the matter so council could tour the site which is bordered by Highway 7 to the south and Big Rock Trail to the north.
Foothills MD Councillor Terry Waddock admitted he did have some concerns in regards to the water that would be needed to service 300 homes.
“Groundwater is more of a concern because it is a limited resource and this is a significant development that relies entirely on groundwater,” said Waddock.
The Sandstone development will be serviced with three wells that will have to be licenced with Alberta Environment and the wells will supply a communal potable water system for the 300 residences. The wells will only supply potable water as water for irrigation is proposed to be serviced through rain water and storm run off that will be stored in the wetlands on the property. In addition, each home will be metered for potable water and irrigation.
According to Urban Systems, the design firm for the development, the project will require an average of 270 cubic metres of water per day with a maximum of 400 cubic metres per day. The three wells will supply about 500 cubic metres of water per day.
In addition, the developer stated the wells on the property are not hydrologically connected to the Sheep River. That is key as there is a water licence moratorium on the Sheep River meaning the wells could not be licenced if it was deemed they would impact the Sheep River.
Not all residents in the region agreed that such a high density development was prudent either due to concerns with groundwater. Although the majority who attended the hearing did not oppose the development, they did voice concerns with regards to the impact the development would have on neighbouring wells.
In terms of density, Sandstone Springs proposes about 1.4 units per acre whereas other recent proposals are higher including Sirocco, which is proposing about 1,500 homes on 955 acres (1.5 units per acre) and Heritage Pointe Phase 3 which includes 304 residences on 137 acres (2.12 units per acre). However, the MD also recently turned down the Saddle Spring development near Millarville which included 85 units on 629 acres or 0.13 units per acre.
In addition to the 300 residences, Sandstone Springs includes more than 42 acres of environmental reserve around the 30 acres of wetlands that bisects the property, 41 acres of municipal reserve and an eight kilometre trail system.
Craig Johnson of New North Projects Ltd., which is a partner in the development, said the Sandstone Springs project is a unique proposal that will be an asset to the community.
“This is an extraordinary property with extraordinary mountain views,” said Johnson. “The sandstone ridges and wetlands give this land unique characteristics. We will try hard to preserve the natural landscape.”
As for the town’s concerns the developers agreed water is a key issue and they are sensitive to the use of groundwater which is why they needed to ensure the wells were not going to impact the Sheep River and why each home will be metered to encourage water conservation.
Dave Nixon, president of Dream West Homes, attended the public hearing and stated additional development is needed to meet demand and Okotoks is simply unwilling to meet that demand.
“In my opinion Okotoks has shut itself off by closing its doors to development,” said Nixon. “This is a fabulous opportunity and it shows great foresight by the MD to step up to the plate when Okotoks has closed its doors.
By Blair Braitenbach
staff reporter
The MD of Foothills carried a motion to approve first reading of the area structure plan of the Sirocco housing development at its regular meeting last Thursday.
The development, proposed by the United Communities and the Walter and Duffin families, is planning to build 1,500 single-family homes and duplexes to be located just south of Calgary surrounding the Sirocco golf course.
During the MD meeting, Coun. Terry Waddock said that the first reading is not a guarantee the development will go through, just that they have approved the area structure plan in question and will allow the developer to start discussions with water, sewer and utilities with the City of Calgary.
Several concerns came up during the meeting and both Waddock and deputy reeve Ron Laycraft said they must be addressed and that further discussions with Calgary must take place before further actions can be taken.
Waddock said he wants to see how water and sewer services will be maintained in the housing development, as Calgary does not to provide rural areas with water facilities.
“We need to indicate we’re not going willy nilly without having a discussion with Calgary,” Waddock said.
Coun. Ralph Nelson and municipal manager Harry Riva Cambrin expressed concern as to who will be providing protective services and monitoring the new community once the development is complete, whether it will be Calgary, Okotoks or some other agency.
“How we provide protective services for that area in mind will have to be dealt with,” Riva Cambrin said. “It may be something in the end where we can’t go ahead because of something like that.”
Coun. Ron Chase, who represents the district in which the development would be built, supported the Sirocco development.
“I need assurance that council will move forward with this,” Chase said.
MD councillors will be meeting with the City of Calgary on June 23 to discuss their concerns over the Sirocco development.
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In this issue...
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Knights Revenge
knights revenge
Holy Trinity Academy
wins zone soccer title
• See Sports
Stars of Okotoks
There will be plenty of activities to keep kids of all ages busy Saturday.
• See Entertainment
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