I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy to see Spring as I have been this year. Wow, it was a long, hard and record breaking winter, wasn’t it? As a result of the unusually large amounts of snow, we had to not only plow the roads but remove snow from them as well. Chestermere doesn’t have a snow dump area; it costs millions of dollars to acquire the land and then put in the proper drainage system to meet Alberta Environment standards. We typically don’t get this much snow so we can generally clear the roads by just plowing them.
This year we (and many other municipalities) were faced with challenges surrounding dump locations so Alberta Environment was a little more lenient. We were allowed to dump snow along the west side of Rainbow Road because the drainage would primarily be onto the street when the melt came. As a result you will see more puddling than normal there but CUI has been working hard to get all the storm drains cleared and thawed so the puddles don’t last very long. The Spring thaw is also causing some concern for some individual properties so if you have questions about where to pump water from your yard or sump pump please contact 403-207-7CUI (7284) or utilities@cuinc.ca.
There is so much on the go here in Town that I’m not sure where to start but I thought I’d give it to you in point form to get through it all!
• ALERT- Quagga mussels and Zebra mussels are an aquatic invasive species that have recently been found in Manitoba. They are established in the Great Lakes, but are prevalent in the United States, especially Arizona and Nevada. They attach themselves to boats, boards, lifejackets and pretty much anything left in the water and they cannot be removed by regular methods. This species has the very real potential to destroy our lake for fishing and recreation. If you own a boat that has been taken out of the province please check out how to rid your watercraft of these invaders now. Boats that have been decontaminated need to remain out of water for at least 30 days to be safe. Please check out chestermere.ca/lake and click on “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers” for details.
• Anniversary Park- despite an April Fool’s joke to the contrary, Anniversary Park is still on track to be open by the end of the year. We’d like to thank our corporate sponsors and the Province for funding this $4.4 million dollar amenity that will be a showpiece in our Town.
• Assessments-the Town has finally gone digital. Now you can check out your own property values and others at chestermere.ca/assessments. We strongly encourage you to review your assessment as you have a limited time to appeal if you believe them to be incorrect. Please call Accurate Assessment if you have any questions as the Town does not perform assessments; the assessors are legislated by the Province. Contact details are on the website or call Accurate Assessment at (780) 464-4655.
• Open House for Kinniburgh Land Redesignation- there has been some confusion based on two Open Houses and a couple of articles in the paper about some bare land in the Kinniburgh area, across from Camp Chestermere. This land redesignation conversation, being referred to as The Adult Living Centre, is not a Town or Council initiative. Currently this land is owned privately but zoned through the Town as Special Recreation Reserve. Council has not seen any kind of application for this rezoning to date and should this happen that step does not approve the detailed development being presented to the public. That would have to be a separate application if rezoning were ever to occur.
• Remember to Scoop- our furry friends should be able to get out and enjoy the warmer weather too but please remember to scoop up after them. Thawing and new deposits in the parks make for unpleasant smells for those residents that back onto these areas. If you have an idea for convenient garbage can locations to help with this issue please let us know at town@chestermere.ca.
• RCMP/Emergency Services Building- the contractors have been working hard all winter and are still on time and budget to have the building done by the end of the year. Once completed this site will house the RCMP detachment, the Community Peace Officers, Fire Services and Ambulance services plus still have a little room to grow for the future.
• 72 Hour Prep. Kit- Disaster Services, the Town of Chestermere, the Province and the Federal Government urge you to have a 72 hour emergency kit prepared for your family in the event of a disaster. As the flooding from last June showed us, unexpected events can happen at the blink of an eye. You can help yourself survive these unplanned events by having a simple backpack with water, canned goods, toiletries and most importantly your medical supplies and a list of your medications on hand. For more information please see www.aema.alberta.ca/documents/ema/Personal_and_Family_Preparedness.pdf
• Welcome to Chestermere- if you know of a new neighbour who has recently moved to Chestermere (within the last two months) then why not suggest they get a quick visit from the Mighty Neighbourly group. These dedicated volunteers will bring over a beautiful hand-made wooden box full of welcoming coupons and small gifts from our corporate and local groups. To connect someone with the Mighty Neighbourly group please contact them through their Facebook page.
Kudos to everyone who will be involved in the April Spring clean up in Town and to CUI for offering a place to drop off paint and large items for disposal. Details can be found on www.cuinc.ca or come by the recycling depot on April 26th to drop off these materials. Thanks for keeping Chestermere beautiful!
