Barb Castell – Division 3
As I write this, I am busy preparing for the Priddis & Millarville Fair. It has been very tricky trying to garden this summer, what a scorcher! It will be interesting to see which vegetables and flowers I will be able to enter this year.
Foothills County Roads
As you drive the Foothills County roads, you may have noticed some of the roads have rutting, wash boarding, soft spots, etc. This is due to the extreme heat, combined with multiple heavy loads, so some of the roads are suffering. Public works has generated a dedicated work order for tracking and repairing any damage caused by the oil and gas activity, logging trucks, etc.
A few of the roads that have been identified will need to have their surfaces lifted, material added, mixed, and relayed. Public works is waiting until the majority of the extremely heavy loads to be finished before beginning the repairs. If conditions worsen, they will mobilize sooner.
To give you some comfort, the County takes substantial letters of credit that will be used to repair the roads so this will not be paid by the taxpayers.
Mountie Moments
As a follow up to the meeting at Square Butte Hall on July 6th, you might be interested in reading the articles posted on Foothills County website page called Mountie Moments. Some of the statistics are alarming with regards to speeding. Here is an excerpt:
On July 30, the RCMP Traffic services patrolled the area of Highway 762 and conducted enforcement for 10 hours which resulted in 13 charges. 9 speeding (all at least 28+ over the speed limit), two mandatory court tickets for 61 km/hr over the speed limit too two motorcycles at two different times. Two motorists fined for failing to produce Insurance, 1 unregistered vehicle and one window tint for a total of $3009 in fines.
You can find all the Mountie Moments articles here:
foothillscountyab.ca/emergency-services/partner-agencies/mountie-moments
Millarville Horticultural Club
The Millarville Horticultural Club meets every second Tuesday of the month from September to May at 7 p.m. at the Millarville Anglican church house. Membership for the year is $15.
The next meeting is Tuesday, September 12, where we will share gardening stories from the summer. Be sure to bring pictures.
If you need any more information, please contact Gail Dziuba at: millarvillehortclub.com
Millarville Historical Society
Millarville Historical Society is holding their annual AGM meeting for members on September 13, 2023, 7:00 pm at Millarville Racetrack Hall.
You can obtain your 2023/24 membership on our website: millarvillehistoricalsociety.weebly.com
Tribute to the Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society
The Millarville Historical Society invites you to a delightful barbecue lunch and interesting program. Several community members will share how the “Racetrack” has created a cornerstone for our community for more than 100 years, providing agricultural experiences with the Races, Hall Events, and the Priddis & Millarville Fair. Local residents who were awarded Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal will be honoured. There will be door prize draws for 2023-24 Millarville Historical Society Members.
Date: September 17th, at the Millarville Racetrack Hall
Time: Noon until 1:00 pm
Special Program at 1:30 pm
BBQ lunch $10.00/person
Dark Sky Presentation (and how you can save on your Electricity Bill)
On August 10-13 the Calgary Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) and the University of Calgary co-hosted the 8th International Conference on Artificial Light At Night, ALAN 2023.
As part of the conference, there was a public presentation on Friday, August 11 called Conserving the Wilderness of the Night Sky – Understanding Light Pollution which I watched online.
Our own Dr. Phil Langill from Rothney Astronomical Observatory (RAO) provided us with a very entertaining introduction. The keynote speaker was Dr. John C. Barrentine from Arizona. He made some very interesting points about how limiting your use of lights during the night and using the correct amount of lighting, you can save money on your electricity bill.
The video of the presentation is saved online, I highly recommend it:
livestream.com/uofc/events/10927005/videos/237199759
If you want to see the impact of light pollution, here is an interactive map of the world: lightpollutionmap.info
Millarville Community School
If you are new to the community and have children starting at the Millarville Community School, their website has plenty of good information. There will be a staggered entry for the 2023-2024 school year on August 31 and September 1.
For more information: foothillsschooldivision.ca/millarville
On a sad note…
Residents, friends, neighbours, and volunteers are mourning the loss of a fantastic husband, father, grand-father, exceptional community volunteer, Malcolm Sills. If there was a job to be done, Malcolm was there. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Suzanne and her family.
Barb Castell
Phone: 403-931-3690
E-Mail: barb.castell@foothillscountyab.ca
Website: www.barbcastell.com
FaceBook: facebook.com/barbcastell.ca
