Red Deer Advocate, July 11, 2012

Page 1

ALL-STAR GAME

COOKING VEGAN

National League blows out American League 8-0 B4

No meat, no dairy, no eggs — no problem! B1

CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2012

At work or First taste play, plan of new pool to keep your cool BY BRENDA KOSSOWAN ADVOCATE STAFF Any cat dancing on a hot tin roof this week should feel thankful that it doesn’t have to cope with hot tar as well. Mark Hunter, residential development manager for Cooper Roofing in Red Deer, said on Tuesday that his crews employ a variety of tactics to avoid overheating while they’re working under the hot sun. Typically, they shut down at about 30C. That’s not just for human health and safety, said Hunter. At that point, asphalt shingles become more vulnerable to damage. Heat conditions are amplified for crews working with hot tar on flat roofs, where temperatures can rise by five to 10 degrees above what the people on the ground below

are experiencing, said Hunter. Along with normal precautions, including making sure they are properly protected from the sun and well hydrated, roofers avoid the heat by staying out of it, he said. During the summer, it is not uncommon for roofers to start early in the morning — providing they are not in an area affected by a noise bylaw — and shut down when the sun starts to get hot. They’ll then come back in the evening as outdoor temperatures start to cool. Lisa Glover, a communications officer for Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, said the province’s Labour Code does not specifically address measures to ensure workers are safe and healthy.

Please see HEAT on Page A2

Photo by SCOTTY AITKEN/freelance

Rimbey children couldn’t wait to beat the heat when the expanded Rimbey Aquatic Centre officially opened on Tuesday. Jaxon Pluigers obliged a request from Colton Soderburg for a cool shot from the water cannon while they waited for opening ceremonies to conclude. The aquatic centre includes an outdoor pool, waterslide, hot tubs and change room building. A leak in the pool delayed the opening, which was slated for June 15. The project to expand and upgrade the 45-year-old pool cost more than $3 million, which included money from the town, local fundraising and the federal government.

Residents not happy parking sacrificed to bike lane BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF

Not everyone in Red Deer is thrilled about the location of the new bike lanes. Some residents in North Red Deer, along 59th Avenue from 67th Street to Grant Street, are miffed because they will lose their street parking on 59th Avenue due to the bike lanes that will

be painted on both sides of the avenue later this summer. Jim Dawson, 70, a resident on 59th Avenue, said it would make more sense for the lanes to be installed along 67A Street to connect to Taylor Drive because the street is not as busy and would not have impacted residents. “Nobody parks on the street there,” said Dawson. “You wouldn’t have impacted on one residential house. You wouldn’t have impacted on anybody. But they choose ours. We’re losing

parking rights right in front of (our) houses.” As part of the Commuter Bike Pilot project, bike lanes will be completed by mid-August. Work should get underway in the next few days. There will be one lane going through the downtown, another heading west along Cronquist Drive, 39th Street heading east, north from the Ross Street area up to 59th Street and 40th Avenue from 39th Street up to and including 55th Street.

Vehicle lanes will be reduced from four to three lanes within those areas. The third lane will be a left-turn lane in either direction, so there would still be two continuous through movements. In the case of 39th Street, the four lanes will be reduced to mainly two lanes. Two left-hand turn bays will be installed at the intersection of 39th Street and 40th Avenue to help alleviate the traffic.

Please see BIKE on Page A2

Year-round activity planned for Great Chief BY LAURA TESTER ADVOCATE STAFF The public will have a final chance to review a proposed concept plan for improving Red Deer’s premiere outdoor, multi-sport facility. City council set aside the Great Chief Park Enhancement Concept Plan and Outdoor Speed Skating Oval Relocation — Site Assessment until Aug. 20 so residents can provide input. The concept plan calls for $8.6-million worth of enhancements to the park that’s been around for more than 50 years. ISL Engineering and Land Services was contracted to gather input on how to improve the 41-acre park beside Bower Ponds and the Red Deer River. It looked at developing a concept plan for sports field-related activities at Great Chief Park, as well as determining a new location for the speedskating oval currently in Rotary Recreation Park. Randy Heaps, ISL senior landscape architect from Edmonton, said sports groups have hailed Great Chief as one of the best places to play in Alberta, but it’s older and needs upgrading. “What (this plan) does is really take a park that’s already serving a lot of stakeholders and user groups and it makes it better,” said Heaps. “There’s opportunities to add additional facili-

PLEASE RECYCLE

A page from a city planning document showing planned changes to the football and soccer area at Great Chief Park. Changes include artificial turf, a speed skating oval, improved change rooms and a beer garden. ties and amenities to make it better.” The park now includes two fastball fields, two baseball diamonds, one soccer/football field, plus the Kiwanis Picnic site, a 10-hole pitch and putt and trails. User groups and city staff estimate that more than 80,000 spectators at-

WEATHER

INDEX

A few clouds

Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D5 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C6 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B6

FORECAST ON A2

grades, as well as expansions. The Great Chief Park Enhancement Concept Plan also calls for the outdoor speed skating oval in Rotary Recreation Park to be relocated to Great Chief and developed as a 400-metre Olympic-style facility. This would require the removal and replacement of the hedge and fence along the south side of the field to accommodate the track. The oval would be placed on the synthetic turf field, which would have a liner placed on it so the ice doesn’t damage the surface below. The improvements are also meant to make Great Chief into a major festival site for the city. “The long-term development of the skating oval, football site and having that well connected to Bower Ponds really opens that up to events as well,” said Heaps. Heaps said the park operator is going to work with user groups on making short-term improvements to fence mesh and backstops. “When you start to look at all the bigger picture items and even some of the new facilities like batting cages, those are things that groups can raise money to build and to operate,” said Heaps. “So it’s not just about the new and glossy, but smaller things that can make an impact.”

tended games in Great Chief Park in 2011. Some of the plan’s recommendations include a new sports field clubhouse and maintenance building, synthetic turf field, permanent beer garden, batting cage, water and sanitary service upgrading and parking lot up-

Please see PARK on Page A2

CANADA

BUSINESS

DEMOCRACY AT STAKE, CLASH OVER TOP COURT HEARS LEADERSHIP Residents of a Toronto riding are left to wonder who will represent them in Parliament while the Supreme Court of Canada mulls a first-of-its-kind case into an overturned election. A5

Research In Motion’s executives and its shareholders are at odds over the direction of the BlackBerry maker at its annual general meeting. C3


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