In a delegation before Athabasca town council on May 6, Athabasca resident Ron Gordon explained he is having troubles with the deer and cat populations around his home, which are making a mess of his backyard and flower beds. He claims the deer are being attracted by neighbours’ bird feeders.
Gordon urged the town to enact a bylaw against feeding the deer and have stronger enforcement and fines for owners who allow their cats to roam free.
These concerns brought to council’s attention the fact that the town has no bylaw in place against feeding wildlife. According to chief administrative officer Ryan Maier, such a regulation only exists in provincial parks, and even then, it is unclear which act the regulation is taken from.
The Town of Athabasca’s animal control bylaw prohibits cats from roaming “at large” and states that all feces are to be cleaned up from spaces outside the owner’s property. However, no mention is made of the feeding of wild animals.
“It’s something administration will have to look into and get more information,” Mayor Roger Morrill said.
Get your roasting sticks ready: Athabasca may see another campground spring on the north side of the river.
The proposal put forward by the Lions Club was met with general approval from town council.
Former Lions President David McGuire explained the club has been looking at the old rodeo grounds space for conversion into a campground.
A rough estimate places the cost between $25,000 and $35,000 for clearing plots for sites, the installation of fire pits and picnic tables, and slight cleanup to the entry road. To install services, the number could be twice that or more, McGuire explained.
“It seems an un-serviced campground would be a much better idea,” McGuire said, noting that many municipal campgrounds across Alberta operate without power or water.
“I think there is a very strong will in this council to get this going,” Morrill said, mentioning that starting slow would be the right path to take. If the project works out, power and water can always come later, Morrill explained.
Town administration and the Lions plan to set up a meeting in order to discuss moving forward with the plan and start work as soon as possible.
A 200-metre section of sewer piping along 49th Avenue near the Athabasca town office will be relined after investigation last year found the piping to be overgrown with tree roots.
The relining, which will require no excavation, will come at a cost of $68,855 and extend the life of the sewer pipes by approximately 20 years.
The town has approved a project from the Rotary Club of Athabasca to install rubber matting beneath the exercise equipment at the riverfront that Rotary installed last summer.
Rotary received a $25,000 grant to fund the project and will be matching those funds with $25,000 of its own.
