Updates from Division One
Happy July. I hope you and your family are well and keeping your social distancing measures in check? As much as it seems things are getting closer to normal each day with malls opening, bars & restaurants serving libations, and recreation facilities tending to our physical & mental health, we still have to make sure we take a cautious approach as we head into the summer months.
I want to congratulate all 2020 graduates this year on a job well done, all things considered, as we endure this pandemic. Who would have ever expected it to go this way? As a parent of a graduated Springbank High School student, it wasn’t easy to watch her go through the struggles of buying a grad dress, completing her studies, planning her uncertain post-secondary pursuits and then to have grad and all of its pomp and circumstance postponed. Thankfully, bright minds prevailed and the kids got to attend a drive-through ceremony (at Springbank HS), complete with socially-distanced families, friends and teachers all cheering them on. Although my daughter was not entirely happy, I had to remind her it was a historical moment. That didn’t help.
My SR1 Decision
Last month’s article, if you recall, I could not explain my rationale to vote against Rocky View County’s (RVC) opposition to the Springbank Off Stream Reservoir proposal (SR1) due to confidentiality. That decision was intended to relinquish opposition but not to support SR1. I want to be clear that I do not support SR1 and am in support of the MacLean Creek design. I have left it up to the proper authorities to decide whether SR1 moves forward or dies. Having said that, it was for these reasons I can now make public why I stepped away from my opposition. RVC received a formal commitment from Alberta Transportation (AT) for the following:
1) Highway 566 and Range Road 11 Roundabout – Division 7;
2) Highway 22 and Highway 758 (White Avenue) Bragg Creek Roundabout/Intersection Improvement – Division 1;
3) Intersection Upgrade on Highway 560 at Garden Road – Division 4;
4) On top of that, should SR1 get the green light, the GoA will also contribute $10M to offset lost tax revenues (I made a motion that those funds be directed to Springbank and area);
5) Also, RVC received the additional $9.4M from the GoA to complete additional flood mitigation costs for Bragg Creek which were not originally anticipated. In total, with funds from the Federal Government and GoA, over $42M has been allocated to protecting residents of Bragg Creek.
But if there was one reason that made me think hard, one which I know first hand that many agree with, it’s the fact that we are getting a solution to the 4-way intersection leading into Bragg Creek. It has been a pain and a danger spot for residents, our Tsuut’ina neighbours, visitors, businesses, and those passing through for many years. For as long as I have been here, during my time on the Chamber, as a resident and as a business owner in the Hamlet, this has been a hot issue. And for me, last summer, when I almost t-boned a vehicle that had pulled a u-ie in front of me near banded Peak School, the aspect of safety, of lives, hit home. I could have seriously injured or even killed, the two young occupants of the vehicle as I was traveling at 80KPH heading south on Highway 22. That incident to this day haunts on me and weighed heavily in my decision to step away from RVC’s oppositioin.
In the end, for me, it was a decision that allowed RVC to not walk away empty handed and provide some measures to ensure the safety of our residents and all those who visit. A few weeks prior, Tsuut’ina Nation accepted a $32M grant to end their opposition. And on the day of the vote, the GoA allocated an additional $196M towards the project. To me and most of my colleagues, the writing was on the wall.
Stay tuned as we continue to move forward. The berms are coming along and before you know it, we’ll be taking walks with friends, family and visitors as we soak in our beautiful river community. Until next month, keep smiling even if no one can see it behind a mask.
— Cheers, Mark
checkMarkk.ca
