After a long six months that included surgery, recovery, and ongoing rehabilitation, Andy Triadopoulos is back home in the valley, thankful for the family and community that made it possible for him to be here.
     In November of last year, just a day after his birthday, while on a hunting trip, Andy was involved in a tragic accident on the Verdant Valley road that took the life of one of his best friends. Andy was trapped under the vehicle, was rescued, and taken by STARS to Calgary.
    He underwent seven hours of surgery and for the past six months, he has been recovering at Foothills Hospital. The collision has left him an incomplete quadriplegic. While he is thankful to be back in the valley, he is still currently residing at the Drumheller Health Centre. That has not stopped him from coming to the restaurant as the family prepares to reopen.
    He is grateful for the care he received, from the emergency responders to the staff at the hospital. “I want to say thank you to everyone with concerns in the area, and also to the RCMP, the ambulance and special thanks to the volunteer firefighters and rescuers, they did an amazing job, and also to STARS,” Andy told the Mail.
    “Also, the Foothills Hospital treated me really good. We are lucky we live in this country, and this province, because had this been somewhere else, it wouldn’t have been the same.”
    His wife Natasha adds, “One thing we would like to stress is the love and support we received from the people of Drumheller and surrounding area, we are very grateful for that. That gave us a lot of strength to keep going.”
    It has been a long process, but his wife was able to stay with family in Calgary to be by his side, and was at the hospital every day. The rest of the family made the trek into Calgary on a regular basis to support his recovery. Andy has kept an incredibly positive attitude throughout his recovery.
    “We are trying to find our new normal, but dad has always had a positive outlook considering everything. He is pretty strong,” said daughter  Ariella.
    “We try to look forward and be positive, that’s all we can do,” said Andy.
    As his progress continued and he was no longer intubated, his appetite returned. He would request some home cooking. Not only would he ask, but would give specific directions on how to prepare it. Maybe a sly way of passing on some of his knowledge.
    “So far they do a great job. I can’t tell the difference,” said Andy.
    His mind has been on the restaurant, which he has operated for decades. The family hopes to reopen the Athens Greek Family Restaurant in the very near future.
    “The restaurant, it has been 30 years, it’s kind of like your baby, but I know it is in good hands, they care very well.” He adds that part of his new responsibilities will be to babysit his grandkids, and he is looking forward to it.

Facing an economic crunch, Starland County is hosting a meeting with ratepayers to lay out its future.
    Earlier this year, Trident Exploration ceased operations, and with this, they left their tax obligations unfulfilled. In a statement by the Reeve and Council in May, it noted, with the number of business acquisitions that Trident made over the last two years, it was by far the biggest taxpayers in Starland County, representing about 25 per cent of its tax base. This combined with a shrinking tax base overall, Starland has had to make some tough decisions.
      Assistant CAO, Matthew Kreke, says Trident failed to cover its taxes last year and this year, approximately $3 million in revenue from each tax year.
      Reeve of Starland County, Steve Wannstrom, tells the Mail the County has passed its budget and it is calling for an 8 per cent tax increase across the board.  While the senior requisition and the Alberta School Foundation requisition did not change, because it is based on the overall assessment, Starland will also have to make up that shortfall.
    “We are trying to make up 50 per cent of it in tax increase and 50 per cent in cuts to get it through this year, and then we have to work on a plan for next year because that is not sustainable,” said Wannstrom.  
    He says this increase is unavoidable.
    “We certainly don’t want to do it, we don’t want it to happen just as much as everyone else doesn’t want it to happen, but we don’t have a choice,” said Wannstrom.
    Kreke said much of the budget reductions come from contractor costs and holding the line on purchasing new equipment or taking on capital projects.
    “It is not  going to be able to go on forever so our job here over the next year is to come up with a sustainable financial model for the County going forward taking into account the loss of a large taxpayer,” he said.
    Kreke says the County has a claim but it is unlikely they will see any money coming from the defunct company.
    “With the new court rulings (Redwater ruling that stipulates that companies meet environmental obligations in light of bankruptcy), we are likely not going to be anywhere near first in line,” said Kreke. “The Orphaned Well Association is obviously not equipped for this and they  are going to be the preferred creditor in this.”
    The Public Information session hosted by Starland County is on Tuesday, June 18  from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Starland will be providing a presentation, and councillors and senior administration will be on hand to answer questions.
    According to a notice, over the next year council will be looking at all options to put Starland County on a sustainable financial footing and this meeting will be a good opportunity to have your voice heard on the services we provide.  
    If you are unable to attend and would like a copy of the material, please contact Shirley Bremer, Chief Administrative Officer at Starland County at 403-772-3793.