Wednesday, March 3, 2021 Vol. 44, No. 9
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YOUR LOCAL PAPER
Beaver County grants M.D. of Wainwright permission to lease gravel pit land
50/50 Draw winner
Patricia Harcourt Editor
Beaver County has granted the M.D. of Wainwright No. 61 permission to lease land for the purpose of gravel pit mining within county boundaries. The M.D. applied through a development permit application to mine gravel at quarter section NE 27-47-11-W4, which includes 1.62 ha(four acres) of land. “This quarter section of land is currently zoned as agricultural and natural resource extraction is viewed as a discretionary use within this district,” stated Kim Vana, development officer, in her report at council’s Feb. 17 meeting. The M.D. is expected to start extracting gravel in May of this year and run until about October 2021. Vana said the parcel of land in question is already being leased by the M.D. of Wainwright following an agreement in May 2020 with the landowner. A municipality can acquire an interest in land outside of its jurisdiction but the county in which the land sits must give permission for this to happen. Division 5 Councillor Dale Pederson said he was “familiar with the property,” which lies along S.H. 870 and belongs to a resident of the M.D. of Wainwright. Division 4 Councillor Barry Bruce asked if there was any agreement in place regarding maintenance of a busy road, as well as paying for any damage to the road. “There’s a lot of traffic going out of that pit,” he said. But County CAO Bob Beck noted that the property, located off the 870, “Is not our maintenance responsibility.” Division 1 Councillor Kevin Smook called this a “gentleman’s agreement” that he “expects should be reciprocated down the line” by the M.D. Deputy Reeve Gene Hrabec (Division 3) also agreed with granting permission. Kallal queried if the gravel pit would create more dust control problems on that road, referring to the latest issues regarding heavy trucks causing dust and road damage. However, the matter went to a vote following a motion by Pederson to approve the recommendation, and the vote passed.
Viking Minor Hockey Association is expressing its appreciation to everyone who supported its Progressive 50/50 Raffle Draw. The lucky winner of $4,972.50 was Jen Amundson. Presenting Jen her winnings is Rosanne Morken (right), VMH Treasurer.
Serenity Garden coming to Holden Patricia Harcourt Editor
This year Holden will have a brand new garden in the village to showcase an artistic gallery while providing an ambience the public can enjoy while visiting there. Plans are in the works for a Serenity Garden to be built that will surround The Gallery in Holden with lovely plants and artifacts for the enjoyment of all in the community and for visitors alike. Holden Village Council granted permission for the Gallery Board’s undertaking at its February meeting, says Elaine Cooper. “The village agreed for the board to utilize the area surrounding The Gallery,” said Cooper. “Family members and local or county-wide people may use the gardens to remember a loved one. “Once the park is ready for use there will be the availability for a donation towards a tree, a shrub or a bench,” she said, which will be indigenous to the area. “There will be rock gardens, flower beds and indigenous trees and plants used to benefit the area and also the wildlife.”
Plus, the artist board will be made available and lowered for easier use by the public. “The whole area may utilize this garden facility and we look forward to assisting the public in the very near future,” she said. Donation letters will be sent out and the artists’ group has applied for some grant funding as well. “We will start the ground work as soon as the ground thaws,” Cooper said, adding that there will be corner posts depicting the perimeter on the four corners of the property. Solar lights donated by a local business will be placed on top of the posts, and there will be donated flower planters also for use in the garden. The public will enjoy a good view of the gardens from all parts of the scenic location as a pathway will run the entire way around the Gallery building. Cooper said that the Gallery Board will oversee this project throughout, and volunteer labour will be used as much as possible to keep costs down.