The loss of Rick Butler

I was greatly saddened by the news of Rocky View County Deputy Reeve Rick Butler's death, this past Monday.  He was killed in a skiing accident in the mountains.  Rick represented the Bragg Creek area so our contact was minimal, however I was most aware of his passion to preserve farmland while allowing controlled residential development in rural areas.  His wisdom and passions will be missed.

My deepest simpathy and condolences go to his friends, family and his fellow Rocky View County councillors.

New Water Meters

Very early in the new year, Public Works will begin our water meter replacement program.  This program is part of our operation to account for all the Aqua 7 Regional Water Commission water we're using.  Currently, Beiseker is buying about 40% more water than we're selling to our users!  The difference has to be picked up by Village taxpayers!  The two main reasons for this discrepancy are: leaks in the delivery system under the streets of the village, and faulty water metering.  Some of the meters in use here are more than fifty years old.  It's time we upgrade those meters.  The new meters will have auto remotes so a computer mounted in the cab of the garbage truck will be able to read them from the laneway as Public Works collects garbage each Friday!

Public Works has located and repaired numerous leaks so far, but there are more!  Once this issue has been solved, Beiseker will be able to focus on other matters needing attention in the village.

Merry Christmas

Here we are at Christmas Eve 2011!  The world has certainly seen its troubles in the past year!  Hopefully we can put most of those troubles aside for a few hours and enjoy Christmas as it's supposed to be! If you donated to our local food bank, be advised that your help is greatly appreciated by those who need a little hand up at this time!  It's not too late to donate, either!

Driving around Beiseker, I see a number of homes and businesses dressed up for the Christmas season.  The Village display looks especially good this year.  Well done everyone!  It looks like Beiseker is ready for Christmas!

I'm wishing you all a very Safe & Merry Christmas.  Take care!

Toooooot-toot! Toooooot-toot!

I am getting requests from some Beisekerites to try to stop the CNR trains from blowing their whistles multiple times when they pass through the village.  This is a safety issue!  By law, the train must blow its whistle as it approaches a level crossing and as it passes through that crossing.  The only way we could stop the train whistles is to install crossing warning lights and/or "arm-gates" which flash, a bell sounds and the gate comes down across the roadway.  A sign could then be erected warning motorists that trains no longer whistle.

The expense of buying and installing all this equipment would fall on the village!   It costs many, many tens of thousands of dollars!  Short answer: we can't afford it.  North Road is part of Highway 72 so that crossing was paid for by the province.  I don't see this expense to be a Village Council priority in the near future.

Fire Department Insurance and Candy Canes

After some careful research Jo, our Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Beiseker, found that we do have a very good insurance policy covering our volunteer firefighters!  It has been in place for many, many years. The reason why we weren't certain of its existance was that no firefighter has needed it!  We have made this information available to the BFD members.  The coverage is arranged through the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and will continue into 2012 and beyond.  In the future,  Beiseker Village Council will ensure that all volunteer firefighters are aware of their insurance coverage through the Village.

I do hope this clears up any misunderstanding brought forward at the last council meeting. 

I see that the Beiseker Fire Department is doing the Candy Cane Run on Christmas Eve.  I had the honour of riding with the firefighters for many years of Candy Cane Runs.  It made me very proud when I saw a firefighter in full turnout gear give a candy cane to a child on Christmas Eve.  Have a wonderful, warm and safe Candy Cane Run this year and a very Merry Christmas to all of the Beiseker Volunteer Firefighters!

Council Debate

Last Monday night we had a very interesting Beiseker Village Council meeting!  A delegation had asked to address council regarding issues with the Beiseker Fire Department (BFD).  Their presentation was almost derailed when one of the "back-bench" delegates began yelling and name-calling. 

His points, no matter how valid they may have been, were negated by his behaviour!  Order was re-established and the original presenter made her points and comments on the issues.  I was most impressed by her demeanor and that of the rest of her supporters.

One point which interested me considerably was the perception that the volunteer members of the BFD had no insurance coverage if they were injured on a call out.  I am in the process of checking this out.  It seems to me only natural that those who give up their time and energy and risk their safety to be a part of our fire department be suitably covered by some kind of insurance. Stay tuned on this one.  (Dec. 20th follow-up:  Fire Department Insurance and Candy Canes)

Another point was that it was their perception that the Village Council was dragging their feet in drawing up an agreement with the County of Rocky View to share the responsibility of fire protection in this northeast corner of the county, including Beiseker.  I think Mayor Rowe made it very clear that negotiations have been actively going on for many months and will continue until a suitable compromise has been reached. 

Our situation is not the same as Irricana's.  The Irricana Fire Department was always a part of the North East Rocky View Fire Association (NERFA) and simply moved over into Rocky View's new fire protection program.  Beiseker, on the other hand, left NERFA with much bad feelings and anguish more than 20 years ago.  Beiseker is now starting back at square one!  

A negotiated agreement will be arrived at, but it must be in the best interest of the village and the county.  But it will happen!

The Wind; She Blew!!

Sunday, November 27, 2011 will go down in history as the day the wind blew!  Three huge empty silos at Dynagra were blown over, a commercial building on Main Street had serious roof damage along with a residence on Fifth Street.  The UFA sign also departed for other venues.

The Beiseker Fire Department fire hall also lost a good portion of its roof.  Alternate arrangements are being made to house the Fire Trucks and firefighting equipment elsewhere in the Village.  More on that later!

A huge thank-you goes to the members of the Beiseker Fire Department and to the Irricana Fire Department for their work yesterday.  They managed to corral wayward pieces of roof which were flying around and keep our streets safe while the wind blew. 

I was out of town yesterday.  I was down in Lethbridge.  It was a bit breezy there, too!  When I got back to Beiseker in the evening, everything was well under control and calm!  Well done everyone!

Thanks Dave!

We received an invitation to the 31st Anniversary Party at the Beiseker Pharmacy!  As of November 26, 2011, Dave Fegan and his wife Leslie have operated the Beiseker Pharmacy here in the village for thirty one years.  He started the store in what is now the East Side Tae Kwan-do gym and built his present building about 20 years ago. 

The Fegans have always been an active part of Beiseker over the past 30+ years.  Dave is a Lions Club member and was our Mayor for a good chunk of time, and Leslie was a volunteer on the Beiseker Fire Department for many years, just to mention a couple of things the Fegans have done for Beiseker.

Dave and I haven't always seen eye-to-eye on the issues.  And we both knew we were right!  My Grandfather used to say, "if everyone liked the same thing, there'd be eight million men chasing your Grandmother."  We need those diverse opinions. It makes for good local government!

The one thing Dave and I have always had in common is getting the best for the Village of Beiseker!

 My wife and I enjoyed Dave's little get-together at the pharmacy last Saturday.  I congratulated Dave and wished him and his Beiseker Pharmacy all the best in the future!  Well done Dave. On behalf of the residents of this village; Thank you!  

Remembrance Day Surprise

I hope your Remembrance Day experience was as meaningful as mine.  I attended the service held at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary at the south east corner of the Calgary International Airport.  We set up for about 250 people.  Less than 50 attended the last ceremony we had there about ten years ago.   We opened the doors before 10:00 a.m.  By 10:30 we had well over 500 present!  In total we had over 1300 Calgarians attend with another 200 unfortunately turned away!  We set up extra chairs and opened one of the big doors of the exhibit hall to allow as many as possible to participate.  We were all very surprised and deeply moved by this turnout.  After the service a few of us opened some of the old warbirds up so people could actually get inside them and experience them "up close and personal"!

What a wonderful experience.  We will most certainly be doing another ceremony on November 11, 2012.

Remembrance Day

I hope all Beisekerites (or is it Beisekerians) are wearing poppies.  Remembrance Day is this coming Friday. The ceremonies for this area are organized by our Royal Canadian Legion, Acme Branch and are held in the Acme Hall.  Get there early for a good seat.  The culmination of the ceremony is, of course, the moment of silence held at 11:00 a.m.  This year it will be the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of this new century.  I'm not sure, but I think the Legion is putting on a light lunch in the Acme Legion Hall after the ceremonies.  I think that Remembrance Day is more than remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for country.  I think it's also a chance for all of us to thank those men and women; veterans who survived! It's important to remember them, too!

I have decided to attend the Remembrance Day Ceremonies at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary, weather permitting.  I am a Director of the museum and I would like to attend this, the first Remembrance Day Ceremony held at the museum in more than 10 years.  After the ceremony a few of us involved with the museum will open up some of the military warbirds in the museum's collection so visitors can get up close and personal with Canada's proud military aviation past.

It's not important where you go to remember our fallen soldiers, it is important that you remember.

We Have Concrete!

They poured the new sidewalks on Chinook Crescent on Thursday, November 3!!  And they look great!  Touch up work, driveways, and connects will be done next week.

I was very sad to learn that Brenda Hnybida has resigned from council.  I've always respected her insight and her points of view.  I wish her all the best and I hope to see her back in municipal politics one day in the future! 

Even I have trouble being in two places at the same time!  There will be the usual Remembrance Day Ceremonies held in the Acme Hall on November 11.  They usually start around 10:00 a.m.  I usually attend those ceremonies and sometimes I have been honoured to represent the Village and place a wreath there on our behalf.  This year I have been invited to the Remembrance Day Ceremonies at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary.  I am a Director at that museum and I am very pleased they have restored the ceremony this year after its absence for a number of years.  I haven't decided which ceremony I will attend yet.

We had the Stage East wrap-up meeting the other night.  We talked about how we might make the evening even better!  We didn't make quite as much money this year but we'll still be able to support a bunch of community organizations and projects next summer.   This year we helped the following groups or facilities:  The Beiseker Community Centre, The Beiseker Library, Beiseker Playschool, Beiseker Parks and Trails, The Beiseker Food Bank, The Beiseker Fire Department, and the B.U.M.S. New Years Eve Celebration.  And we decided to seriously consider doing it again next October!  Stay tuned!

More Chinook Crescent (and other things)

They're working like crazy on the sidewalk portion of Chinook Crescent.  They're hoping to pour concrete in the next couple of days!  Let's hope the weather co-operates!

Halloween was very quiet over here in Beacon Heights.  I hope you had a quiet one, too.  We didn't get as many Trick-or-Treaters this year.

It looks like the deficiencies on the Main Street project will have to wait for spring now.  There's only a couple of things left to do but the contractors don't get paid in full until everything is done!

As you've heard, we have a by-law enforcement officer now!  He'll be looking for obvious boo-boos around the village;  Things like unlicenced vehicles on public property, untidy properties, vehicles parked on public reserve land, speeders, unlicenced dogs and cats, and a host of others.  Let me know how you think it's working.

Chinook Crescent

We have curb along Chinook Crescent!  Looks good too!  This project is not going as fast as we at Council had figured!  I think because it's such a "small" project that we may get shunted down the priority list.  Council has asked the contractors to make sure the folks along there have a sidewalk to walk on this winter even if it means putting down a temporary asphalt one until spring.  We've had many good weather days lately but the street was deserted of any workers.  Let's hope they can get more of the project done before the snow flies!

Again, thank you to Bill and his Public Works team for working with the engineers and keeping Council informed on the project.  And a huge thank you to all those residents along Chinook Crescent who have had to live with this disruption on their street.

Stage East

Stage East had another successful run this weekend!  We went Friday and Saturday nights.  We all had fun doing the show again and I think the audience enjoyed it too!  Thank you to all the actors, stage hands, set builders, ticket sellers, the set up crew, the take down crew, costume makers, and everyone else who took part in Stage East 2011!  Well done everyone!

Around Town

The Main Street redevelopment program is nearing completion....finally!  It's been a long summer, especially for the Main Street merchants who have had to put up with the construction all summer.  There are a few things remaining to be done yet.  The safety railings, mostly along the north side, have to be installed.  That's the biggest thing, I think.  I see that they were working on that today. 

Looking at the street today, I recall what it looked like in the mid 1970s when I came on Beiseker Council for the first time.  We've come a long way!  I can honestly say I'm proud of the new look of our Main Street now!

This water is heating up to boiling!  The Kneehill Regional Water Services Commission (KRWSC) has a new name now!  It was made official just a couple of weeks ago. It is now the Aqua 7 Regional Water Services Commission (A7RWSC).

No matter what we call it, it's still in deep financial difficulty.  The commission has never been allowed to sell the water it originally had predicted for reasons mostly out of its control!  Additional provincial assistance which was verbally promised on many occassions was never forthcoming!  The commission is now mired down in debt and deficets.  The price of water to the participating municipalities is one of the highest in the province.  The people of Beiseker are paying dearly for water!

Our Mayor Rowe wants to turn off the A7RWSC valve and return to our well at the beginning of 2012.  That has major difficulties, too!

1. We would have to go through the process of having our well re-certified to be used by the municipality.  That could take months!  Our well water was never filtered because it never needed to be.  It was treated at the resevoir before it was sent out to residents.  That would have to be re-examined and tested to make sure that water was still clear coming out of the well.
2. We would have to do some winter excavation to physically separate the two water systems near our water storage resevoir.
3. I believe we would have to impose heavy water restrictions on Beiseker residents.  It would be cheap water but there would be less of it!
4. It would be soft water so our residents would have to uninstall or turn off their water softeners.
5. We would still have to pay our share of the debt for installing the regional system but we would no longer buy their water.  That would put a huge strain on the remaining communities on the system!  Some of those municipalities do not have the option of using well water again.  That extra strain may be enough to put the regional system into financial freefall!

I can understand Mayor Rowe's frustration with the problems,  We've all been talking to the provincial government about these issues and finincial difficulties for almost TEN years now and nothing has happened.  Other projects of this nature have received far greater funding that we did.   When Mayor Rowe makes his motion to shut off the A7RWSC taps, I really don't know how I will vote!  Do I vote to turn on the well (if it is feasible) to save the Village those huge water bills?  My first consideration must be to Beiseker ratepayers but would that really serve their best interests?  It's a tough one!

I cannot believe that a caring and effective provincial government would allow this situation to continue into the future.  But I've been saying that for years now, too.

 Let me know what you think.  And consider writing another letter to the provincial government, maybe to our new Premier Redford! 

BEISEKER HAS HIT THE WALL ON THIS WATER CRISIS!  SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!

Street Cleaning Blues in Beacon Heights

There was some kind of breakdown in communication between the residents of Beacon Heights and the folks doing the street cleaning in the Village.  We were told in a handbill that our streets were to be cleaned on Monday and Tuesday, June 6 & 7.  We moved our vehicles off the street Monday morning to facilitate that process.  Unfortunately the street cleaners did our streets the day before, on Sunday, June 5 when all of our cars were on the street!  I saw the machine out there on Sunday but I figured he was just sweeping up the gravel in the center of the roadways and that he would return to do the curbs on Monday when the cars would be removed.  Now I'm told we'll have to wait to next spring to get our street cleaned properly.  I'm annoyed!  Are you?  If so, phone me (947 3759) or the Village Office (947 3774).  Maybe if enough of us complain we can get something done about it before next spring.

Fire Department Update

We continue to negotiate with Rocky View County with the purpose of reuniting the Beiseker Fire Department with the Rocky View Fire Services.  There are a few hang-ups which must be addressed before such an agreement is signed.  Your Village Council is holding firm on these key issues;

1. That most if not all of the BFD volunteers will continue to be a part of Station 55's new status.
2. That the BFD serve this entire area (the North East corner of Rocky View County) - rural and urban.
3. That the maintenance and replacement of fire fighting equipment be addressed as it is in other Rocky View stations.
4. That Beiseker continue to maintain the existing fire hall.

Negotiations continue.  I'll keep you posted.

The Trail Net Fiasco

You've probably heard by now that the proposed trail between Beiseker and Irricana was turned down by the County.  Many were shocked and amazed by this decision.  I wasn't.  The rejection goes to actions taken back in history and Trail Net is going to have to do some major damage control before projects like this will proceed.

About a hundred years ago the farmers in this area wanted a rail line to ship their grain to market.  To that end many of them almost gave a piece of their land to the CPR to build their track on.  The deal was that they would provide land for the CPR right-of-way and the railway would provide train service to Calgary basically forever.  Forever wasn't as long as those farm families thought it would be!

The CPR abandoned the rail line and gave the land to the trail people to build a trail across the prairie.  This was done as many municipalities and individuals were in the middle of negotiations to take the land back from the railway and return it to its original use!

Farm families who expected to be able to get back this strip of land which their ancestors had almost donated to the railway instead found a public pathway running through their fields!  This has led to some very hard feelings between the trail folks and their farmer neighbours.  One group of farm families actually buried a car in protest after the car manufacturing company donated cash to help establish the trails.

In some parts of this great country, abandoned railways have indeed been turned into excellent trails and pathways and some day that may happen here.  But before that happens here, the trail folks have to become aware of the past history and make a plan to overcome these hard feelings. Downloading the problem to the locals isn't the answer.

Main Street

Phase One of our Main Street rehabilitation project has begun!  We began on the North side of the street and will have that side pretty well finished before we go onto the south side. If the rain ever lets up the project will go full out.  The barriers will be up for the Beiseker Country Fair but the Parade will go down Main Street as it always has.  We'll be asking those watching the Parade not to park their vehicles in that first block of Main Street.  Folks are most welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets down and set up along that block to watch the parade.  If you really want to watch the parade from your car, you'll have to park further along the parade route.

And here's a big tip of the old hat to all those merchants along Main Street who have to put up with all this construction.  Thank you so much for your patience and know that we will still be visiting your place of business during the construction!

The Fire Department!

As most of you know, Beiseker Village Council is negotiating with Rocky View County to take over fire services within the village.

At one time in our past the Village of Beiseker was part of NERVFA, or the North East Rocky View Fire Association.  The association was formed in the very early 1970s to provide fire protection to the village and the surrounding area which had very minimal fire services up to then.  A number of years after that, in a spat over control, Beiseker withdrew from NERVFA and went on its own.

I contended then and still contend that a small village the size of Beiseker cannot support the equipment to maintain an independent fire department!  Supporting the Beiseker Fire Department (BFD) has cost this village hundreds of thousands of dollars since its breakaway from NERVFA more than 20 years ago!  NERVFA has now become part of the County's fire services and I truly believe that Beiseker must rejoin that service!

I have nothing but admiration for the volunteer firefighters of the BFD who attend weekly practices and "make do" with older, used equipment and do a fantastic job!  But much of that equipment needs replacement and the village cannot afford that cost. 

By becoming part of a larger system again, some of those costs will be spread over a larger base, making equipment replacement, training, and other upgrades more feasible.  In this time of regional programs and projects, I think this is a good way to go.  All negotiations have centered around the fact that the Beiseker Fire Station and most of the personnel will remain.

If this change takes place, will there be glitches?  Yes! But I don't anticipate any problem which a cannot be overcome with level heads and dialogue!

Let me know what you think.  Let the Village Office know what you think about this issue.

The Hi-Way Nine Nightmare

I had a meeting in Drumheller today.  I went there via Acme and Carbon but I decided to return home on the Number 9 Highway!  Boy, was that a mistake.  It was like an off-road adventure! 

There was mud and rocks flying everywhere.  Some holes were so big that if they completely filled, I would have had to wait for the ferry! The speed was posted at 80 km, but I doubt that anything could do that kind of speed on that dirt mess except maybe a motocross racer!  What a disgrace!  I've seen major highways in third world countries in better shape that that!

What is going on here?  I've heard that last year's contractors were whining about bad weather and unforeseen soil problems, but please; this is a major highway!  Something needs to be done and fast, before we lose a motorhome full of tourists out there!  I'm writing every provincial Conservative I can think of to complain and I urge you to do too!

And I think that Danielle Smith and her Wildrose Alliance are missing a good bet by not having their party advertising along the torturous route!

We Found some leaks!!

The Village Public Works Department under the leadership of Bill Hnybida found two of the water leaks which have been dogging the village for months now!  The two breaks (actually they were holes in the pipes) were found at the south end of town.  The leaking water had escaped detection by flowing through a gravel layer into our storm drains.  Since the leaks were ahead of the residential water meters, the lost water did not show up on our meter readings.

The leaks have been repaired!  We should notice a substantial drop in our water consumption through the Kneehill Commission (soon to be Aqua7) line.
 
Well done Public Works and congratulations!

Golf Anyone?

As you know, the Golf Driving Range on North Road in Beiseker is in sad need of repair.  Our prairie winds have played havoc with the fence.

 We need volunteers to restring and repair the netting once again.  Some on Village Council are threatening to tear the whole thing down and sell off its assets if we cannot find some volunteers to take it over. 

If you are one who wants the driving range to remain, then I urge you to make your wishes known to Village Council a.s.a.p.!!   There might even be some recreation grant money to help you!  Councillor Brenda Hnybida has the info on grants available!

Water Shut Off

Last week's water main break made it necessary to shut off the village water system for about 45 minutes. Many of you have asked me why Public Works had to shut down th whole system and why there was no warning.

When tending to a water main break, the usual way is to isolate that one line by shutting valves off at either end. This was attempted but the valves were badly frozen and could not be shut down. After hours of frustrating work trying to move the valves, the decision was made to shut down the entire system and make the repairs as quickly as possible. This was an eleventh hour decision so there was no time to warn anyone.

In the future, if this situation arises again, the heavy or critical water users (restaurants, the medical centre, and hair salons, etc.) will be given a brief warning so they may stockpile a small amount of water before it is shut down. In the meantime Public Works will endeavor to thaw the valves so the isolation techniques can be used if we have another water main break. Thank you again, everyone, for your patience.

A New Name!

The Kneehill Regional Water Services Commission has a new name! It will soon be known as the Aqua7 Regional Water Services. "Aqua" of couse means water and the 7 stands for the seven original municipalities who created the water distribution system; Linden, Acme, Beiseker, Carbon, Irricana, Rockyview County and Kneehill County. Hopefully this will reduce some of the confusion between the water commission and the County of Kneehill. We even had some provincial Ministers confusing the county with the water commission! I think that confusion cost the water commission dearly!

No Water!!

Thursday, March 10 marked our first major water main break of 2011! It happened just off Main Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Our Public Works Department arranged for the repairs to be done as quickly as possible but they had to shut down some of the system to make the repairs. The water was off for about an hour. Thank you all for being so patient and a huge thank you to our Public Works folks for getting the break repaired so quickly.

I hope this is the only water main break we'll have this spring but I'm probably being overly optimistic. The freezing and thawing cycles around here may produce more breaks as we move into spring.

I just hope SPRING hurries up!

Water Quality

It has come to my attention that some residents are concerned about the water quality in the village. Our water comes from the Red Deer River via the Drumheller and Kirkpatrick treatment and pumping stations. It is typical Alberta surface water and therefore has a calcium or lime content and is "hard water". Our well water was high in dissolved salts (it was soft water) and was chlorinated only once. Beiseker's well water had very high concentrations of naturally occuring flourides. Now our water is chlorinated at Drumheller, then again at Kirpatrick, and finally at the Beiseker pumping station. The calcium and that chlorine gives the water a different taste to the well water we used to have.

Our water is tested very frequently. We have excellent water quality in Beiseker. Many residents not liking that chlorine taste have invested in a small water filtration unit to keep in the fridge. This does double duty as a water conserver because ice cold drinking water is always available! No need to run the tap waiting for cold water.

What's Up

Hey! Want a free energy kit to monitor and control energy use in your Beiseker home? If so, head down to the Village Office and ask for a Fortis Energy Kit. There are dozens of ways you can save energy use in your home and save money, too. And it doesn't do the environment any harm either!

Reminder; if you have a dog or cat, 2011 licenses are now due!

Check out the fabulous skate program at the arena. There's a program for everyone.

Start planning for the Beiseker Lion's Skatathon. Sunday March 27

Giddy-Up Aggie Days! If you have a youngster with special needs or you know of one, consider having them participate in Giddy-Up Aggie Days at Stampede Park in April. Aggie Days is a program which brings Alberta's Agricultural Industry to the city. We turn the BMO Center into a giant barn! We milk cows, shear sheep, raise chickens, saddle horses, make flour, make butter and a host of other ag. related activities so urban Albertans can see where their food comes from. We have teamed up with the Stampede Queens' Alumni to open up Aggie Days for special needs kids and their families to come down and experience it together! We start with a free breakfast and the fun goes on from there! If you're interested and you need more information, contact the folks at Community Links in Beiseker! 403 947 2841

I am frustrated that I can't afford to shop at the grocery store in my own village!

2011 looking good for Beiseker

As the economy gradually recovers, it looks like 2011 will be a good year for our village! Here are a few things to look forward to;

1. There`s some activity in the stalled Grasslands residential subdivision. We`ve seen workers out there surveying over the last few days. I have heard nothing official, but I`m hoping this means the subdivision may be made ready for the builders come spring. I hear stories from folks buying lots to build on in Calgary. They`re looking at a 20+ minute bus ride for their kids to attend school! Beiseker Community School is within walking distance! They`re looking at a 45 minute to an hour commute across the city. You can drive into northeast Calgary from here in about 45 minutes with practically no traffic! They`re looking at an hour drive one way through choking traffic to the nearest hockey arena. The Beiseker Arena is within walking distance! I`m thinking a lot in the Grasslands subdivision is looking better every day!

2. Our great little municipal library is on the move! The Beiseker Municipal Library is about to take up its new digs in the Community Links Building! The new Library should be open by late spring of 2011. The Library Board is now in the process of applying for grants to facilitate the move. Stay tuned!

3. Beiseker`s Main Street Redevelopment will be starting in the spring of 2011! Phase One will include the block between 1st and 2nd Avenues. I`m excited to see it started. As you`ve probably heard, Village Council agreed to modify the plans to delete the median down the middle of the street. This was done after residents voiced their concerns about including it.

There are three things to look forward to. I`ll bring you updates on these and other developments as soon as I hear more.

Happy New Year, 2011!

I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy New Year! The First real weekend of the new year really blew in a storm for Beiseker! Public Works is busy moving snow out of the way so that traffic can move. I think they've been going almost continuously since the storm let up. Well done Bill and crew!

A hearty thank-you goes to those Beiseker residents who helped stranded motorists over the weekend at the Beiseker Community Centre. We had over 40 "special guests" in town thanks to the blizzard. Most managed to resume their journeys by Sunday afternoon. Again we showed Beiseker to be the "Friendly Village"!

A reminder to all that we have a snow removal bylaw here in Beiseker. The public sidewalk in front of your home must be cleared after a snowfall.

Council is still working on our water problems. We still have yet to figure out why Beiseker is buying twice as much water from the Kneehill system than Irricana! Is it a metering error or a major leakage, or maybe a combination. We've got to find out! We're starting our investigation at the #2 Pumphouse (on the south side of ninth street where it meets the CNR tracks) and moving out from there. Stay tuned!