BARRHEAD- It has been another challenging year for municipalities.
However, it has not been without its bright spots.
That is what County of Barrhead reeve and Division 1 Coun. Doug Drozd said during his annual year-end interview shortly before Christmas.
He noted that although the pandemic and continued public health restrictions have put a damper on many activities throughout 2021, some of the funding higher levels of government made available because of COVID-19 allowed the municipality to complete multiple infrastructure projects that would have otherwise still been on the books.
The majority of the funding Drozd is referring to is the Municipal Stimulus Program (MSP) grant from the province.
In July 2020, Premier Jason Kenney announced a total of $1.1 billion in funding would be going to municipalities and Métis settlements to help them with infrastructure projects that would have been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as help these governments with additional operational costs due to the virus.
The county's allotment was $747,449.
Drozd said the secondary purpose of the funding was to spur economic development, and as such, projects needed to be shovel ready.
"They also had to be contracted out to help put companies to work," he said.
The county chose to spend the bulk of the grant on a trio of road projects, the rehabilitation of 2.6 kilometres of the Thunder Lake access road, the replacement of a culvert on Range Road 32, the repair of pavement (patchwork) on Township Roads 590 and 604 and the start of a shoulder pull program.
"The shoulder pull project was especially successful for us," Drozd said.
The creation of a shoulder pull is a process that sees shoulder and ditch dirt bladed to the middle of the road for tilling. The tilling process makes it easier for the grading, packing, and gravelling that follow. It also gives a road a proper profile by creating a moisture-shedding crown, essential for healthy gravel roads.
Another highlight for Drozd is the progress council made on the Neerlandia lagoon project.
"(2021) was the year we finally were able to get all our ducks in a row, get the funding, engineering and everything else that we need to expand the lagoon's capacity," he said.
Drozd noted the Neerlandia lagoon has been on the county's radar ever since he was first elected in 2010, saying he was only in office a few months before Alberta Parks and Environment (AEP) notified them that the lagoon needed to be upgraded. "It has been a tough, long, hard push to get everything organized and ready for construction which will be the easiest part of the whole ordeal."
He added the municipality also benefited from receiving a timely $889,200 Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership (AMWWP) grant, which will pay for the bulk of construction. Other funding for the Neerlandia lagoon upgrade project will come from the Canada Community Building Fund (formally known as the Federal Gas Tax Fund) at $1,046,000 and $217,300 from municipal reserves.
"(Once the project is complete) we will be in a good position and are poised for future growth in Neerlandia. It is a happening little community," Drozd said, adding that due to the lagoon's capacity limitations, councillors had to be cautious on what projects they approved in the hamlet.
He noted that 2021 was also an election year.
In the County of Barrhead, residents uncharacteristically saw races in four divisions (1,2,4 and 5). In the last municipal election, only Division 4 was contested.
"It is always an exciting time," Drozd said, adding he was saddened by the departure of two former colleagues, Darrell Troock (Division 5) and Dennis Nanninga (Division 7), who decided not to run after long political careers. "I am sure it was a hard decision for them. They were really committed to the county and their communities. I am sure we will see both of them in some other capacity in the future."
He added he is also excited to see their replacements Paul Properzi (Division 5) and Jared Stoik (Division 7) and how quickly they are becoming acclimated.
However, what Drozd is most excited about is the progress they are making at the county's Kiel Industrial Park.
He added that at the Dec. 21 council meeting, council during an in-camera session, the county accepted the offer of a company to buy two lots, about 12.5 acres, to a company wanting to expand its operations. The company also has an option to buy a third adjacent lot.
The county bought the quarter section of land located at NE 27-59-3-W5, which is immediately south of the Northplex plant on Range Road 32, for $575,000 from the Kiel family in 2012 for the expressed purpose of creating an industrial park. The land is zoned direct control. In late June 2018, Royal Canadian Cannabis (RCC) put a deposit down on a lot at the Kiel Industrial Park to build a medical marijuana growing and production facility. However, the sale of the property fell through in 2020.
Drozd said they had hoped to be able to make a joint announcement, but at this time, the company is not ready to make its plan public.
"It's something we've been working all summer on, and we thought it might be able to conclude before the election, but it took a little longer than expected," he said, adding it was the company's story to tell.
However, he said, the company's plan does fit within the municipality's Strategic Plan.
"We wanted to take things out of the (Town of Barrhead) that was too big, noisy or had unpleasant smells to make it a good fit in the more urban setting and bring it outside of town to an industrial park," Drozd said.
He also said the county has been working on expanding its tax base as they are too reliant on residential taxes, which is one of the reasons why the council approved the Non-Residential Tax Incentive Bylaw in September.
The bylaw gives existing and new business owners a non-residential tax rebate on a sliding scale dependent on the amount, in terms of dollars, they spend to expand or improve their operations.
"With this company, when they are fully operational, and their tax rebate has expired, it will nearly double our non-residential property taxes," he said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
