Suzanne Oel – Division 4
Greetings! Sharing my News Update…
Chainsaw and Tree Safety Workshop: Join us on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 7 pm, at the Priddis Community Hall. This event is a collaboration of Foothills County departments, guest presenters, and community groups. Whether its seasonal clean-up, clearing a treed area, pushing back the tree growth to FireSmart around buildings, or responding to the dead-fall of a windstorm, tree management is required every year. The focus of our meeting will be educational presentations and discussions with residents, where we can learn some safety and management tips on dealing with our west country treed properties. We’ll start with an introduction to our Agricultural Services Department from Manager Keith Kornelsen. Then, accredited chainsaw instructor, Shane Rear, will inform us regarding awareness about safe chainsaw use, how to approach a clean-up, and where to take accredited chainsaw training. Certified arborist and tree risk assessor, Jacquie Randle, will present information about tree health and risk assessment. Foothills Fire Department representatives will add to the conversation with some FireSmart tips. A number of local area tree-services contractors will be introduced, inform us about services they provide and be available for discussions with residents. Q&A included throughout (Tools will not be used by residents.) Refreshments will be provided.
Priddis Bridge Project News: For over 10 years this project has gone through various stages of investigations. The Priddis Bridge is listed on the Provincial Construction Program at the “design” stage for a bridge replacement and an intersection improvement. The Fish Creek Bridge on Highway 22, 1 km N of Priddis (2047-1), is slated for a bridge replacement to support over-sized/over-weight corridor movement and enhance public safety. The safety and roadway improvement between E of Fish Creek to W of Fish Creek includes plans for road re-profile, climbing lanes, intersection improvement and overlay. After reviewing preliminary drawings, there appears to be room for left hand turns, north and south off Highway 22, and a lane beside in each direction (east and west). Foothills Council recently met with Alberta Transportation and a new update is provided as of April 16, 2025. Their goal is to tender the Priddis Bridge file in the Fall of 2025. Volker Stevin will be doing some pre-clearing in the bridge area during the summer of 2025. Looking forward to seeing this work begin.
Recognizing 9-1-1 Personnel: Foothills Regional 9-1-1 serves 25 municipalities, including Foothills County, across 36,000 square kilometers. The center supports 42 fire halls and 12 municipal enforcement programs. Dedicated team members manage an impressive volume of calls. Their work includes direct 9-1-1 emergency calls, coordinated transfers, and the processing and dispatching of Fire Services and Community Peace Officers. Our local professionals provide a calm and knowledgeable presence while triaging critical calls, dispatching emergency personnel and equipment, and rendering life-saving assistance to our residents. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to these professionals, who often go unnoticed behind the scenes. During this year’s National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, celebrated in April, several members were awarded the Alberta Emergency Services Medal, which recognizes the dedication and good conduct of emergency services personnel in Alberta. Our municipal partners, including Foothills County, appreciate the accomplishments of our Foothills Regional 9-1-1 Team. We send our gratitude to our frontline telecommunications personnel, who are there first when seconds count. Congratulations and thank you!
Sharing The Road Safely: Just a friendly reminder to be safe and keep a look out for other road users, including various types of vehicles, industrial equipment, agriculture equipment, moving of livestock, wildlife, local and visitor cyclists, and touring of all sorts. Transport Canada notes that more cars, buses and trucks are traveling on Canada’s roads than ever before. As traffic increases, they say, so does the need for sharing the road safely. All drivers need to: understand how different vehicles operate and why other drivers take the actions they do, gain the knowledge and skill to behave safely around different types of vehicles, and show patience and courtesy towards all other road users, even those who demonstrate less understanding and skill.
https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/publications/sharing-road-safely
For Other News & Updates:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CouncillorSuzanneOel/
Email: Suzanne.Oel@FoothillsCountyAB.ca
Visit High Country News online for my previous articles.
With Best Regards,
Suzanne
