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Last updateSat, 21 Sep 2024 12pm

Kneehill County withdraws interest in Tolman Bridge campground

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The future of the Tolman Bridge west campground, which falls within Kneehill County’s municipal boundaries, was up for discussion during the regular Kneehill County council meeting on Tuesday, February 23.
More than 150 parks and campgrounds, including Tolman Bridge, were set to be fully or partially closed following an announcement by the provincial government in March 2020.
“Assuming operation of this (Tolman West) campground may be an opportunity to potentially expand the tourism portfolio in Kneehill County,” manager of Parks and Agricultural Services Shelby Sherwick said during the presentation.
Tolman Bridge consists of two campgrounds--one, on the east side of the river within the municipal boundaries of Starland County, and the other on the west side of the river within Kneehill County.
Both Starland County and Kneehill County previously expressed interest in operating the campgrounds within their respective boundaries, and a potential partnership was initially identified to operate the sites in conjunction.
Recent correspondence from the province indicates an agreement will only be made with one municipality.
Sherwick added if Kneehill County chose to operate the site, either on its own or in conjunction with Starland County, additional staff would be required. Based on anticipated revenue, it was recommended council withdraw interest in the west campground; Sherwick noted Starland County had expressed interest in operating both campgrounds, though permission would be required to operate the west campground within another municipality.
“I know there’s a lot of my interest in (Division 7) in terms of having that campground stay there and be operated,” said Councillor Kenneth King. “If, at some point in time, Starland County wishes not to operate, I would certainly like to see Kneehill County to potentially look at the possibility of operating.”
Councillor King moved to withdraw Kneehill County’s interest in assuming the Tolman West campground; the motion was carried unanimously.
Division 6 Councillor Wade Christie made a second motion to permit Starland County to operate the west campground, under the condition Kneehill County would be notified should they withdraw at any point. This motion was also carried unanimously.


Spring football on horizon

 

After a long winter, and even a longer break due to COVID- 19 the Drumheller Titans are getting back on the field.
Registration for Spring football is quickly approaching for the Drumheller Community Football Peewee Terrapins and the Bantam Titans. Brad Iverson is taking on coaching the Bantams this coming season and says the players are hyped.
“All the boys are really excited to get out there. The Senior Titans started doing some conditioning last week, so since then some people have reached out, and the warm weather is getting everyone thinking about football,” he said.
Iverson coached the Terrapins last season and says he has a few players coming up to the Bantam level, but they could always use more players. There is a core of players ready for a possible spring season. Because of COVID, he explains Football Alberta is allowing Grade 9 players to play at the Bantam level during spring football.
“We have a really good core group of Grade 9 players, but we need more Grade 7 and 8 players to build that team for fall,” he said.
So far, there is no clear vision for Spring Football due to COVID-19 restrictions. They will begin with conditioning and instruction with practice and hope they will be able to have some sort of scrimmage or gameplay.
“Until they lift restrictions, we don’t know. As for right now, we are allowed to get together in groups of 10, so we are working with that until the government decides to expand,” he said. “Come fall, I’m sure we’ll be back to full football.”
Registration for Peewee and Bantams is Saturday, April 3, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Drumheller Community football has made considerable efforts to keep costs as low as possible, and there is a $40 fee to cover insurance. Equipment is included.
Drumheller Community Football also welcomes volunteers who wish to support the team as coaches. For more information, check out the Titans Facebook page.

Local paving projects on provincial radar

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Repaving of Highway 838, North Dinosaur Trail is on the province’s radar in the near future.
The provincial government has announced $3 billion over three years to support capital maintenance, and the 2021 provincial construction program shows there will be some improvements in the Drumheller area.
According to a press release, the province is investing nearly $300 million more than in the 2020 budget to capital maintenance and renewal. This funding is for everything from fixing potholes, resurfacing roads, bridge repair, and provincial building maintenance. Budget 2021 places a significant focus on maintaining existing capital assets, creating more than 7,500 jobs on more than 260 projects to maintain and improve the condition of Alberta’s highways and bridges.
“Our priority is to create thousands of jobs now by fixing potholes and bridges and roads so Albertans can travel safer and so we can get our goods to market more efficiently. Extending the life of infrastructure reduces replacement costs in the future. Budget 2021 makes sure Albertans can continue to be proud of their highways,” said Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation.
Already in the Drumheller area, there are some projects underway. One of note is the bridge replacement underway on Highway 10X, three kilometres south of Rosedale.
According to the 2021 Construction Program repaving, 17 kilometres of Highway 838 is in the design stage. This is from the Town of Drumheller to two kilometres south of Highway 837. The schedule shows work near Carbon. There are 18 kilometres of repaving slated in the design stage on Highway 575 between Highway 21 and 7 kilometres east of Highway 836, as well as slide repairs.
According to Alberta Transportation press secretary McKenzie Kibbler, “both Highway 838 and Highway 575 are included in the Budget 2021 three year Provincial Construction Program and are currently in the design phase. Once engineering design work is completed, we will be able to move ahead with the construction phase. We expect to complete both projects within the next three years.”
The province is also looking at repaving 34 kilometres of Highway 590 between Highway 21 and the Village of Big Valley.
The design stage means the project is at the project management and hiring engineering consultants to design the project.
The 2021 construction plan includes major capital projects and capital maintenance and renewal for the next three years, as well as slide repair for the next year. This may be changed based on emerging needs, changing construction schedules, and available funding.


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