Alan Alger

Fall is in the air, and winter will soon be upon us.

Although a decent year moisture wise for our area farmers, it was not without incident. In my area the hay crops were productive, but a late hailstorm played havoc with the cereal crops. A tough life this farming game. You are to be commended for your fortitude.

This summer/fall saw Council attend two ceremonies relating to the Okotoks/FC water pipeline project. First was an Indigenous blessing at the intake site and the second being the official groundbreaking ceremony. Work is now beginning at the river and pipeline installation to follow.

Our Aldersyde water project continues to come to fruition with completion of the pipeline under highway 2. The pumping station on the river is underway and soon will be starting our new water treatment plant. This is exciting news for our Industrial corridor.

In early October Council unanimously refused the Foothills Landing ASP. This application was to bring 2200 homes to the De Winton area just west of the Okotoks overpass. A two-day hearing was scheduled, and Council took another 2 weeks to process all the information presented. In the end it was deemed too much density for the area among other issues. The density presented was based on CMRB regulations which is not favorable for rural settings.

We continue to fight hard against the CMRB which dictates growth in the area and basically gives the City of Calgary a veto vote over any regional significant application we receive.

Locally, I'm happy to see CPKC has improved the RR crossings at Hwy 552 and at De Winton. A new crossing was installed at De Winton this summer and the aprons were repaved last week. On 552 the actual rail line was moved to be better angled in line with highway. A vast improvement and I hope to see more paving on those aprons.

The bridge by the Sirocco Golf Course is near completion and will be a beauty. This replacement was long overdue as we continue to push for funding from the province for these projects. Two bridges were replaced this year with more on the books.

Soil hauling has become a large issue for our County as the City continues to haul from construction sites. We are not against this; however, it was happening unregulated. We now have a bylaw in place for a Development Permit process, so we know the parameters of these hauls. Road Use Agreements also need to be in place to protect our infrastructure.

Community Associations are the lifeblood our areas, and I urge you to get involved. The commitment is minimal, but the benefits are far reaching. The De Winton Community Hall has undergone a great outside renovation of siding and new composite decking. It looks great! Red Deer Lake has also undergone a large roofing project on the hall, caretakers house, and numerous buildings throughout the park. Both facilities do great things for the community and always struggle with volunteers. If you can spare a few hours a month, we'd love to have you!

I hope you are enjoying the good weather and I wish you all the best!