Lacombe County on board with cumulative effected pilot project
Lacombe County has approved the terms of reference for a pilot project that would help communities around the lake co-ordinate development to ensure water quality is preserved.
The Sylvan Lake Cumulative Effects Management System is meant to align the policies of communities around the lake with the province’s Land Stewardship Act. By ensuring municipalities share the same policies and goals it is hoped that the lake will not be damaged by future development.
The project will be led by the Sylvan Lake Management Committee, which includes representatives from the Town of Sylvan Lake, Lacombe County, five summer villages and Alberta Environment.
To better assess how a variety of projects could affect the lake, the committee intends to use a cumulative effects management system. Existing studies and research will be drawn upon, although additional work could be done. It is also anticipated that “triggers” would be identified where the amount of development or impacts on the lake have reached a point that more oversight or management is needed.
Eventually, the management system will be used to update the existing Sylvan Lake Management Plan, which provides a general guide to development around the lake. That is expected to happen late next year.
Lacombe County buys land next to lake
A picturesque three-acre piece of land next to Lacombe Lake could soon be in Lacombe County hands.
Council agreed to pursue buying the piece of property from the province on Thursday. The estimated cost of making the deal is $41,000.
Phil Lodermeier, the county’s manager of operations, said the treed parcel of land includes a day-use site and will be on the route of a planned trail the county is building between Blackfalds and Lacombe. The county had been leasing the land for the past 10 years from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. That agreement expired last November.
Lodermeier said the county could renew the lease for 25 years, but that would greatly restrict what could be done with the site. The site is only accessible by water or overland through county-owned land. It is the last remaining land not privately owned on the small lake between Blackfalds and Lacombe just east of Hwy 2.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” said Lodermeier, the site sits on a bluff overlooking the lake. “The cost is minimal compared to (the price of) this kind of land anywhere else.”
Administration was directed to arrange to buy the land from the province. The value of the land is estimated at $33,000. Administration work, an appraisal and legal survey will add about $8,000 more.
Olds man identified as victim in fiery crash near Benalto
Sylvan Lake RCMP have identified the man who died in a fiery crash southwest of Benalto earlier this month.
William Barrett, 53, of Olds, had been driving a tanker truck that had been empty when he collided with another truck on Range Road 30 just before 4 p.m. on Aug. 10.
Barrett’s vehicle exploded and burned due to the presence of a residue amount of petroleum product in the tank.
The other truck, occupied by two males, was towing a compressor unit. Although it was heavily damaged, the vehicle did not burn.
The two men escaped injury.
Police say that the collision occurred when the tanker truck, which was southbound, drove onto the west shoulder verge and then, when corrected, drove fully across the road, entering the east ditch. The driver of the northbound truck tried to avoid the tanker by entering the ditch, but was hit anyway.
Red Deer man died in Elnora collision
Police have released the name of a man killed in a highway crash near Elnora on Wednesday.
Three Hills RCMP identified the victim as Jason Paulson, 31, of Red Deer.
At 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, Three Hills RCMP, Elnora Fire Department and Kneehill Ambulance Service responded to a crash on Hwy 21 at the Township Road 352 intersection west of Elnora.
The police investigation found a southbound pickup truck crossed the center line and struck an oncoming tractor trailer unit.
Paulson was pronounced dead at the scene and a 34-year-old Nova Scotia man, driver of the semi, was transported to Red Deer Hospital.
Blackfalds pilot, forestry staff in chopper crash
A helicopter pilot from Blackfalds and four Alberta Forestry employees survived an emergency crash landing at The Livingston Gap provincial forestry fire base along Hwy 40 in southwest Alberta on Friday.
Crowsnest RCMP say the helicopter, owned by Mustang Helicopters of Blackfalds, experienced a mechanical failure at about 11:10 a.m. at the base, located about 70 km north of Coleman. The chopper was found in a field on the east side of Hwy 40, across from the base.
The five occupants were taken to the Crowsnest Pass Hospital as a precautionary measure. Transportation Safety Board and Occupational Health and Safety, have been called to investigate.
Tim Boyle, vice-president of operations for Mustang, said company staff have headed down to investigate as well. He said there was a problem with the hydraulics, which controls the flight controls.
Boyle said the pilot intentionally landed in a field adjacent to the base, which is “probably why everyone is OK.”
