Heather Colberg, left, presented GM/superintendent of Dinosaur Trail  Golf Club Mitch Davidson with a donation of $10,000 in recognition of the value the course has had over the years for the family.

Dinosaur Trail Golf and Country Club is looking towards the new season with fresh faces and high expectations.
    The Club has seen a number of changes during the off season, the most noticeable is that Scott Westman has resigned as manager and former superintendent Mitch Davidson is now at the helm. Last season great strides were made to give golfers a great experience on and off the course. They plan to continue that same vein.
    To get the club off on the right foot for 2014, management was elated to receive a donation of $10,000 from the Kohut family to support the club.
    Heather Colberg explains simply that the family has enjoyed and benefitted from the golf club for many years and felt it is important to keep the club viable.
    “We understand what the course has been for us over all of these years and felt it was time to give back,” said Colberg.
    Dinosaur Trail is following up its successes of last season, Davidson says he wants visitors to the club to see an immediate impact when they come to the course.
    One of the biggest changes is that the tournament facility will be operated as the clubhouse this season. The club felt this facility is an improvement and should be utilized to its fullest potential and for the benefit of members.
     Last season the addition of Chef Peter MacDiarmid has helped the club build a reputation as a place where great food will be served, whether it is an afternoon snack or dinner.
    This is enhanced by the addition of Carmello Sangregorio as the new food and beverage manager.
    “He has moved to Drumheller to be closer to family, but we are lucky to have him as he has years of experience in food and beverage and most recently was the food and beverage manager at Carnmoney Golf and Country Club just south of Calgary. I look forward to him streamlining our operation and bringing a lot of new ideas to Dinosaur Trail,” said Davidson.
    They are hoping the support continues for the club as it gets ready to host its annual dinner and silent auction.
    This year the auction is on Saturday, April 12 at the Badlands Community Facility. The evening includes a special prime rib dinner, prepared by its own Chef MacDiarmid. This is followed up by a live and silent auction with Derek Dekeyser manning the block.
    Tickets are available from any board member or at the golf course. For more information, or to donate an item to the auction, call 403-823-5622 or e-mail mitch@dinosaurtrailgolf.com.

The rising Red Deer River in Drumheller from spring of 2013.

As spring nears and the snow melts, citizens and the Town of Drumheller are looking for answers on how to reduce the extent of flooding in the Drumheller valley.
    Late last week, Mayor Terry Yemen sent a letter to provincial Tourism Minister Richard Starke inquiring “if there have been any decisions made in regard to flood mitigation for Drumheller.”
    The Mayor said the Town submitted to the province in late 2013 an extensive plan for lowering the impact of high water events.
    “The Town has submitted the requested mitigation plan and have met with the Stantec consultants hired by the Government of Alberta on a number of occasions.”
    “As spring is rapidly approaching, the Town is constantly being asked questions in regard to future mitigation which we are not able to answer,” Mayor Yemen wrote the Minister.
    The provincial government hired three engineering firms in January to study flood mitigation options for the Athabasca and Red Deer Rivers.
    Stantec Consulting is providing the engineering assessment and recommendations for flood mitigation options for the Red Deer River basin.
    As reported in The Mail February 26, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Development stated the province starts monitoring the melting snow in the plains at the beginning of March, and they would issue an advisory of any concerns to municipalities.
    Currently there is a spring runoff advisory for Alberta posted.
    Residents can look up advisories at www.environment.alberta.ca/forecasting/advisories.