ATHABASCA – Athabasca County councillors are hoping to clear up some confusion for the county’s summertime sightseers by changing a duplicate road name near Baptiste Lake.
For years, lakeside residents near Baptiste Lake have dealt with one of those weird quirks municipal governments sometimes see; the lake has two roads both named Baptiste Drive, owned by two municipalities.
On the northern end of the lake, just southeast of White Gull, Athabasca County’s Baptiste Drive connects a string of cabins and cottages to the range roads north of them. The road has 45 properties on it, and in 2023, a resident finally had enough.
“(Pac Beach) has historical significance. One of the original owners of the land on Pac Beach was my father-in-law, the late John Pacholok, “Johnny Pac” as he was fondly known,” wrote Sheena Pacholok.
“He was a visionary, and saw how beautiful that land was on that part of Baptiste Lake, and so the development of many lake lots began.”
Following an Oct. 31, 2024 motion to send a letter to the road’s residents, 36 of the 48 property owners responded, unanimously agreeing with the proposed change.
“Sounds like it was a unanimous decision — 75 per cent of the people got back to us which is great to hear. I’m sure they’ll be people happy with this,” said Coun. Rob Minns.
Councillors voted 8-0 in favour of the motion, with Coun. Gary Cromwell absent. The renamed portion starts at the junction of Township Road 671, and Range Road 241. A new sign will be placed as well.
