Looking back on 2013 in Chestermere

The past twelve months were filed with news, both highs and lows across the world. Life in Chestermere was no exception. Here is a look at some of the highlights of what happened in our town in 2013.
January is always an anticipated month in Chestermere with so many residents looking forward to the Winterfest; but that’s not all that happened one year ago. Chestermere was chosen as a Thrive on Wellness community which means we received funding from AHS for a project to promote healthy eating and active living. With the funding, a dedicated group of volunteers led by Vicki Klinger, Recreational Coordinator at the CRCA launched Chestermere Walks, a multi-strategy community walking program which uses walking as a mechanism to engage community residents and diverse cultures in ‘Building a Healthy Community one step at a time’. Since its inception, the Chestermere Walks team have organized dozens of walking groups and are always open to new ideas to meet the needs of residents. Visit the website at www.chestermerewalks.ca for more information on how you can get involved.
In February, the youth of Chestermere had something to shout about. Approval was finally granted to a dedicated young duo who had been working diligently toward Chestermere’s New Bike Park. A temporary park located behind Safeway had been closed since the developer had begun to build so Brandon Johnson and Toby Giles, members of the Bike Park Committee went to work finding a new location for the popular park. An area of land in Rainbow Falls designated as municipal reserve was finally chosen and with an incredible amount of community involvement and support from various groups including the Chestermere Rotary Club, Town Council approved the project which was later started in the summer of 2013 and due to open in 2014. For more information and updates on the Bike Park, visit the Town of Chestermere website at www.chestermere.ca under ‘Our Community’, ‘Recreation’ and ‘Bike Park’.
In March we received news that could make us all proud of some of our neighbours and their volunteer efforts. It was announced that six Chestermere residents received the honor of being awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The commemorative medal marked the 60th anniversary of the accession to the thrones of Queen Elizabeth to honor significant contributions and achievements by Canadians over the previous sixty years. The Chestermere Diamond Jubilee Medal Recipients were Ray Hessler, Jen Peddlesden, Don Roberts, Marilyn King, Alex Halat and Stu Hutchison.
April saw a big boost for the Chestermere Health Centre, with a donation of $15,000 from the Chestermere Lions Club. The funds will be used toward a children’s play area which will be located in the new health centre currently under construction in Kinniburgh and due to open in 2014.
April showers bring May Flowers. In May, the Town of Chestermere Park Department entered into a Communities in Bloom competition, encouraging homeowners and businesses to get involved by cleaning up their yard, planting additional trees and flowers and beautifying the community. This resulted in an incredible level of participation within Chestermere with many residents and visitors noticing the abundance of beauty within our town all summer long.
The major corridor running through Chestermere got a new name in June. Highway 1A became Chestermere Boulevard in a change of ownership from the Province to the Town of Chestermere. Mayor Matthews said that the new ownership was an important step for the town to take as they will now have the ability to make their own decisions about the important stretch of road including intersections and speed limits allowing the Town to be able to better respond to the traffic needs of Chestermere residents.
The June floods dominated the provincial news most of the summer but it was the incredible response and support of so many Chestermere residents towards those that were effected that made headlines in July following the flooding. Many Chestermere residents raised thousands of dollars and hit the front lines working during flood relief efforts. Our generous spirit and quick act to help did not go unnoticed. Laura Brankovich who lives in High River said that she saw firsthand the incredible response offered by Chestermere people and added “Chestermere residents really went over and beyond with helping communities affected by the floods.”
In August, Angels on High hit its height with fundraising efforts towards building a new Catholic Church in Chestermere. On Aug.12, 12 brave souls from St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Chestermere climbed Mt. Temple, the second highest mountain in Banff National Park. Fr. John Nemanic, pastor of St. Gabriel Parish supported Angels on High as a creative way to begin the monumental task of building a church for Chestermere. Angels on High 2013 was only the beginning as St. Gabriel Parish has a goal to build a church building by 2018 enabling the parish community to worship and serve others. Angels on High 2013 raised over $55,000 and has even bigger plans for 2014.
September once again was host to the annual Loop Around the Lake Run, benefiting the Chestermere Public Library. Each year as this event grows we see more and more participants in each of the categories which include a 1K, 5K, 11.2K and ½ marathon. In 2013 the race experienced exciting growth with the addition of a new half-marathon wheel chair division. Nolan Wiebe was the first hand-cyclist to participate in the event, opening up the doors to more hand cyclists and chair racers to join in the future. Event organizer, Bernie Maillet started this initiative 5 years ago with a goal to raise $100,000 for the public library, he is over half way to his goal. To find out more information or to register for the next event visit www.looparoundthelake.ca
October 2013 saw municipal election all across Alberta, including here in Chestermere. With 19 candidates running for town council the opportunity for change was ever existent. Meet and greets hosted by candidates dominated coffee shops while residents took advantage of the many opportunities to get to know the hopeful councillors to help with the difficult choice of who they felt would represent them most effectively on town council. Mayor Matthews was acclaimed early on, allowing her the opportunity to lead our town into the next four years. In the end, 26% of residents turned out to cast their vote and elected an even mix of old and new faces including Heather Davies, Stu Hutchison, Jennifer Massig, Gail Smith, Christopher Steeves, and Patrick Watson.
In November as the temperatures continued to drop, our attention was put on the families living within Chestermere that were struggling with poverty. Community Services once again launched Christmas with Dignity, an annual campaign aimed to raise funds for Chestermere area families in need. The organizers set a goal to raise $22,000 and went hard to work to reach that goal by making residents aware of the very real need for many of our neighbours. They broke down the perception that poverty is non-existent in Chestermere and helped to share stories of families in need, as well as providing the community the opportunity to jump in and make a difference by donating toward the campaign which is then used for supporting individuals and families in with damage deposit, rest, dental, transportation, recreation subsidy, utilities and medical expenses. Visit www.chestermere.ca for further details.
Finally December, it feels like yesterday doesn’t it? In the final month on 2013, Chestermere made the news on a larger scale due to a huge new development that is planned within the boundaries of the Town. Waterbridge is the newest land development that includes an enormous 2400 acres of land located on the west side of Chestermere. The approval of the first reading of this project with Town Council garnered the attention of many interested parties due to the potential increase of population it will bring to Chestermere, an additional 46,000 people. During an open house for the project, we learned details of the Master Area Structure Plan for the entire new community. A public hearing is planned for Jan.20 at 7:00pm at the Town Hall.