May 2014
How to…
Report a bylaw infraction.
Year in Review
Agriculture Services.
Maps
You are here.
Even in the country,
rules of the road apply.
014-0406 © Rocky View County
Single file. Keep right. Don’t speed.
Pay attention. Cyclist or motorist, highway
or rural lane, they’re rules to live by.
May
2014 2013
November
Council Votes
Votes Council
Recent County
4 Council
County Council decisions.
decisions.
Manager, Communication Services:
Grant Kaiser, APR, P.Mgr.
Snowbound
to…
5 How
Winter emergency supplies
Report a bylaw infraction
Contributors:
Anna
Brian
Muller;
BAComm
; Anna
Melnick,
Stacy Melnick,
McGuire,BCMM;
Cheryl
Wallach;
Jeff Fleischer;
BAComm
; Ryan Lisowski;
Lora Plante;
Stuart
Jewison.
and Cheryl
Wallach
In this and future issues of
Vantage Point, we’ll be taking a look
at some of Rocky View County’s key
activities and services in the past
year. This report covers:
Agriculture Services
Rocky View County is a community where
agriculture is valued, respected, and recognized
as vital to the County’s social, economic and
ecological integrity.
Agricultural Services provides residents with
a range of information and services aimed at
protecting and enhancing agriculture and rural
living within the County. Services include
weed and pest control, spraying and mowing of
County-owned lands, and educational programs,
scholarships and awards.
Number of Farms
by Farm Type
e
an
d
Po
ny
765
1,551
Farms and ranches in the County
21
Agricultural workshops
79%
Reduction in herbicide use since 2008
2,000
Hectares of weeds, controlled
Go
at
92%
of Rocky View County’s
land is agricultural
Mi
sc
. Liv
es
to
ck
Ho
rs
95
39
85
831
34
If you are interested in submitting
articles or material for publication in
Vantage Point, please contact Rocky
View County Communication Services.
Printed in Canada with environmentally
responsible ink on Forest Stewardship
Council ®certified
certifiedrecycled
paper. paper.
Tu
rke
en
Ch
ick
an
d
He
n
ial
ty
Type of Farm
people of Rocky View.
Sp
ec
75,795
Acreage and shelterbelt trees
distributed to 160 land owners
29
o
100
an
d
People attended the Ag-Venture Tour;
watch for it again in July 2014
Kilometres of roadsides
mowed once each year
11
Cr
915
Ta
me
Ha
y
Mi
sc
. Fie
Municipal Reserves are created when landowners subdivide.
The County keeps up to ten percent of the lands for community
initiatives, or requires payment in lieu.
191
l Se
ed
Municipal Reserves are County-owned lands used for schools,
parks, community centres, and other similar uses.
Kilometres of roadsides
mowed a second time
Gr
ain
567
al
283
Oi
Alarm!!
Save your life for under $100. You Are Here
Maps help Rocky Viewers
The Business of Rocky View understand their County.
Annalise Astley-Blishen – Go4Snow Distributors.
600
re
9
x2
op
Ve
g.
1
ld
Fast Fact
2,350
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Number of Farms
Acres of Municipal Reserve
lands mowed
Note: Many Rocky View County farms
participate in more than one type of agriculture.
8
9 Birth of a Pothole
Welcome to the New Vantage Point
How good roads go bad.
We’ve been working hard on County communications over the past few months,
with a new website, less (but improved) paid newspaper advertising, and more
The Birth
a Pothole
public
openofhouses
and information sessions. We’ve also heard your concerns
about Vantage Point – big, untimely, expensive, and difficult to read.
They’re the curse of drivers
and suspension systems
alike – potholes. These
spring menaces are a fact
of life in any area where
temperatures go both above
and below the freezing mark.
Rocky View County
Communications Services
911 – 32 Avenue NE
Calgary, AB, T2E 6X6
80
Weed notices
(action required)
tat
340
Weed information letters
(a reminder)
119
102
Po
600
Weed inspections
Ce
Vantage Point is published monthly
by Rocky View County and delivered
free of charge to County households.
Vantage Point is also available online
under the News & Events tab at
www.rockyview.ca.
$$$.$$
By the Numbers
in Review
6 Year
New stats about the
Agriculture Services.
16
y
Printing:
Apache Superior Printing
Year in Review
Sh
Ca
ee
Ot
ttle
p
he
an
r Po
an
d
d
La
ult
Ca
m
ry
b
lf
Design:
Sheldon
Bueckert;
Tyler Williams, B.Des.
Tyler Williams,
B.Des
are an essential part of
or concern.
living in rural Alberta.
County staff are always on
the lookout for potholes and
other road issues, and you
can help by letting us know
about the serious ones you
find. Search “Report a Road
Issue” at www.rockyview.ca
for the online form.
We try to work as fast as we
can in repairing potholes, but
in the meantime here’s a look
at why they happen.
10 Meet your Neighbours
We’re listening to you with this new Vantage Point.
We’ve Elbow
reducedValley.
the
Featuring
size of the publication and the way it’s printed, and made it monthly. That
dramatically reduces postage and printing costs. This new version costs
under 25 cents per person to print and mail – less than the price of a first1 stamp. 2
3
class
The weight of vehicles
can cause roads to bend
and crack.
As cracks get deeper,
water can work its way
through the surface into
the sub-base.
Winter temperatures dip,
freezing the water and
pushing the asphalt or
gravel up.
11 Art, Craft & Passion
www.rockyview.ca
The more frequent delivery helps us give you Stained
more timely
information
glass
artist about
County Council decisions, upcoming events, and arising issues. We’ve made
Elizabeth Hertz.
that4information
5 easier to 6read, and the design easier to follow.
Vantage
Point contact
e-mail:
General Rocky
View County
[email protected]
contact e-mail:
[email protected]
and if you
have
any comments or suggestions we’d love to hear them.
On
the
Cover
us a line at [email protected].
403-230-1401
Vantage Point contact e-mail:
© 2014 Rocky View County. All rights reserved.
[email protected]
Reproduction
or reuse of any information in
this publication, in whole or part, without the
express written permission of Rocky View
County Communication Services is strictly
© 2013 Rocky
View
All rights
prohibited.
While
allCounty.
reasonable
care isreserved.
taken
Reproduction
or reuse
any information
in
in
the preparation
of thisofpublication,
Rocky
this publication,
in whole
or part,
without for
the
View
County cannot
be held
responsible
express written
permission
of Rocky View
unintentional
errors
or omissions.
County Communication Services is strictly
prohibited. While all reasonable care is taken
in the preparation of this publication, Rocky
View County cannot be held responsible for
unintentional errors or omissions.
Spring (or a Chinook)
arrives and the ice melts,
leaving a void beneath
the surface.
With no sub-base for
support, the surface
collapses under the
weight of vehicles.
Vehicles and erosion
continue to wear away
the edges, expanding
the hole.
Over the next few months, we’ll be tweaking Vantage Point to get it just right,
Drop
Isabel Tornqvist, Clara Kearl, and Brooke
Cooley
spring
recital.
We hopepractice
you like for
theanew
and dance
improved
Vantage Point.
Members of Tanya’s Dance Worx studio in
Langdon, these talented young performers
participate in many different
styles
of
On the
Cover
dance, including ballet, tap, jazz, and hipDeanna
and the
Markstudio
Muchka and their children, Derek and
hop. Young dancing stars
from
Kate, take a break from wrapping up their 2013 season at the
compete for top honours
at various dance
Calgary Corn Maze and Fun Farm in Rocky View County,
competitions throughout
the province.
southwest
of Indus. The popular attraction brings the country
experience to Calgarians and visitors from around the world.
Photograph by Carl Patzel Photography.
Photograph by Carl Patzel Photography.
Do you know a great face for the cover of
Do know
you know
great face for the cover of Vantage Point?
Vantage Point? Let us
by ae-mailing
Let us know by e-mailing [email protected].
[email protected].
Rocky View County | 3
County | 3
Council Votes
Here are the highlights of significant or County-wide decisions from the most recent
Council meetings.
Budget Finalization
Council voted on the special
projects and new initiatives
that would be included in the
2014 budget. From a long
list of potential initiatives
throughout Rocky View
County, these items made list
for this year:
•Blue/Black Carts –
$249,500 for blue recycling
and black garbage carts for
Langdon’s curbside pickup
program. The money will
be repaid through user fees.
•Budgeting Software –
$80,000 for new integrated
budget management
software.
•East Drainage – $160,000
to implement drainage
solutions for the Keoma
and Indus areas.
•Gravel Road R&D –
$350,000 for pilot projects
and testing on new
approaches to maintaining
gravel roads throughout the
County.
•Horse Creek – $7,500 for
watershed monitoring,
education programs, and
planning co-ordination
related to the Horse Creek
watershed.
•Mosquito Control –
$50,000 for a one-year
mosquito control program
in Langdon.
4 | Vantage Point
•Road Re-chipping –
$283,610 for replacing the
gravel on road surfaces.
This provides extra funds
to the County’s program,
which normally re-chips
gravel roads about every
three to five years.
•Seniors Housing – $65,000
for a needs assessment of
seniors housing.
•Service Improvements –
$750,000 for additional
staff resources to help
Rocky Viewers on
development, engineering,
and regulatory review
issues, and to provide
support in administrative
areas, such as information
technology and public
records management.
•Wastewater Sludge
Disposal – $8,900 to
develop an alternative
means of disposing of the
sludge from wastewater
plants.
•Wastewater Upgrade
Design – $250,000 for the
preliminary design of a
wastewater plant upgrade
in Langdon.
•Water Pumps – $110,000
for two new six-inch water
pumps to assist with flood
control.
Council has now set the
2014 Tax Rate as a result
of the base budget, these
new initiatives, monies
received from other levels
of government, and the
property assessment. Each
landowner in Rocky View
County has already received
their assessment notice, and
will receive their property
tax notice in mid-May once
the rate is set and the
calculations done.
Chestermere Recreation
Agreement
Council voted to approve an
agreement with the Town
of Chestermere to jointly
fund recreation and cultural
projects in the southeast
area. Rocky View County
has agreed to commit
$220,000 in each of the
agreement’s two years, with
that money coming from the
Recreation Levy.
County Council deals with
over a dozen agenda items at
each meeting, most relating to
smaller development issues.
If you’re interested in all of
Council’s decisions, or details
on the decisions shown here,
you can read Council minutes
and agendas by visiting www.
rockyview.ca and clicking on
the “Government” then
“Council” tabs.
Unsightly premises are one of the many issues Rocky View County’s Community Peace Officers work with residents to resolve.
How to . . .
Report a Bylaw Infraction or Concern
Rocky View County’s
Enforcement Services
personnel work throughout
the County on a wide range
of potential issues, including
lost and found pets, unsightly
premises, traffic concerns,
and more.
Enforcement Services
operates co-operatively with
the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police, the Alberta Sheriffs’
department, the provincial
government, residents,
business owners, and
neighbouring municipalities in
ensuring safety and security
for you, your family, and your
property.
The County’s peace officers
begin with education, and
attempt to find goodwill
solutions to each issue. This
voluntary compliance is
always the preferred option,
but, if that isn’t successful,
officers will take enforcement
measures.
There are currently eight
Community Peace Officers
serving the County, and they
deal with five main areas of
responsibility:
•Ensuring public safety
•Providing animal control
services
•Ensuring bylaw and
development compliance
Rocky Viewers who have
concerns about any of
these areas should contact
Enforcement Services for
information and response.
You can contact a
Community Peace Officer by:
•Protecting roads and
infrastructure through
commercial vehicle
enforcement
•Searching “Bylaw Complaints”
on www.rockyview.ca to
find out Report a Bylaw/
Enforcement Issue online
form.
•Promoting traffic safety on
all roadways
•Call 403-230-1401 for nonemergency matters.
Rocky View County | 5
Year in Review
In this and future issues of
Vantage Point, we’ll be taking a look
at some of Rocky View County’s key
activities and services in the past
year. This report covers:
92%
of Rocky View County’s
land is agricultural
Agriculture Services
Rocky View County is a community where
agriculture is valued, respected, and recognized
as vital to the County’s social, economic and
ecological integrity.
1,551
Farms and ranches in the County
21
Agricultural workshops
$$$.$$
600
Weed inspections
2,350
Kilometres of roadsides
mowed once each year
6 | Vantage Point
340
Weed information letters
(a reminder)
x2
600
Kilometres of roadsides
mowed a second time
80
Weed notices
(action required)
283
Acres of Municipal Reserve
lands mowed
Agricultural Services provides residents with
a range of information and services aimed at
protecting and enhancing agriculture and rural
living within the County. Services include
weed and pest control, spraying and mowing of
County-owned lands, and educational programs,
scholarships and awards.
Number of Farms
by Farm Type
95
is
39
oa
t
G
85
La
m
b
Hectares of weeds, controlled
831
34
th
er
P
ou
ltr
y
C
at
tle
an
d
C
al
Sh
f
ee
p
an
d
Reduction in herbicide use since 2008
2,000
M
79%
c.
Li
ve
st
oc
H
k
or
se
an
d
Po
ny
765
Tu
rk
102
ec
ia
l
ty
en
an
d
C
hi
c
ke
n
119
Sp
29
Po
ta
t
o
Acreage and shelterbelt trees
distributed to 160 land owners
an
d
People attended the Ag-Venture Tour;
watch for it again in July 2014
75,795
H
100
Type of Farm
ey
O
16
ro
C
d
el
Fi
ay
is
c.
915
H
e
m
Ta
il
Se
ed
191
O
ra
in
567
lG
ea
er
Municipal Reserves are created when landowners subdivide.
The County keeps up to ten percent of the lands for community
initiatives, or requires payment in lieu.
C
Municipal Reserves are County-owned lands used for schools,
parks, community centres, and other similar uses.
M
Fast Fact
p
Ve
g.
1
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Number of Farms
Note: Many Rocky View County farms
participate in more than one type of agriculture.
Rocky View County | 7
You Are Here
Maps help Rocky Viewers understand the County
From pirate treasure to
Google Earth, maps have
long been a great way to
present and understand
information.
While we can’t help you find
gold doubloons, the County
has a number of maps
available that do help you
find land uses, road types,
and other information on the
nearly one million acres that
make up Rocky View County.
In the upper right corner of
www.rockyview.ca you’ll find a
“Maps” link that takes you to:
Land Use Maps
These maps show what
uses are permitted on each
property in Rocky View
County. Every property
has a designation – from
agricultural to commercial,
residential to recreational.
The base land use is always
“Ranch and Farm,” so if an
area is unmarked on the
maps it has that designation.
You can search for “Land
Use Bylaw” on the website
to see what each of the
8 | Vantage Point
different designations mean
(they start on page 100 of
the bylaw if you want to skip
ahead). The descriptions
are a bit technical and legal
– they really have to be – but
you can get a good sense
of the types of use that
are permitted on different
properties.
recovery basis, and the
website gives details on how
to purchase them. These
maps include:
•Maps showing the
registered owner of
properties in Rocky View
County
Hamlet and Area Maps
•Custom aerial photography
maps
These maps show the more
populated areas of the
County, and feature:
•Digital maps, which can be
customized by the buyer
with certain software
•The municipal addresses
for properties
The County does not invest
tax dollars in maps for
day-to-day travel, since
navigation systems and
online maps from Google,
Bing, Yahoo, and others do
a very reasonable job for
residents. But for things
specific and unique to Rocky
View County, we’re working
to increase our use of maps
on the website to make it
easier find and understand
information.
•The kinds of roads in the
area (paved, gravel, etc.)
•The location of
school, municipal, and
environmental reserve land
•The areas with approved
subdivisions
•The areas with subdivision
applications
Maps for Purchase
The County offers a number
of maps for sale on a cost-
We’ll let you know if we turn
up any pirate gold.
The Birth of a Pothole
They’re the curse of drivers
and suspension systems
alike – potholes. These
spring menaces are a fact
of life in any area where
temperatures go both above
and below the freezing mark.
1
The weight of vehicles
can cause roads to bend
and crack.
4
Spring (or a Chinook)
arrives and the ice melts,
leaving a void beneath
the surface.
County staff are always on
the lookout for potholes and
other road issues, and you
can help by letting us know
about the serious ones you
find. Search “Report a Road
Issue” at www.rockyview.ca
for the online form.
2
As cracks get deeper,
water can work its way
through the surface into
the sub-base.
5
With no sub-base for
support, the surface
collapses under the
weight of vehicles.
We try to work as fast as we
can in repairing potholes, but
in the meantime here’s a look
at why they happen.
3
Winter temperatures dip,
freezing the water and
pushing the asphalt or
gravel up.
6
Vehicles and erosion
continue to wear away
the edges, expanding
the hole.
Rocky View County | 9
Elbow Valley offers beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains – quite appropriate for Rocky View County.
Meet Your Neighbours - Elbow Valley
Located in the southwest
portion of Rocky View
County, Elbow Valley and the
surrounding area are home to
5,778 proud Rocky Viewers.
The area was originally
called Hokaikshi in 1814
by famed explorer David
Thompson. By the 1860s the
name had changed to Moose
River in English, although the
Cree called it O-too-kwa-na
and it was known as Mnno-tho-ap-ta to the Stony
people. Today’s Elbow Valley
moniker began to be used
as residential development
increased, and comes from
the nearby Elbow River.
Elbow Valley features a
beautiful view of the Rocky
Mountains, and a network of
trails that residents maintain
with the natural environment
in mind. The quiet, peaceful
community offers an example
of one of Rocky View
County’s unique lifestyles –
“rurban.” That represents the
rural benefits of country living
and the urban amenities of
nearby Calgary.
Adopt a Pet
Donny is a great dog to walk with, cuddle with, and play with.
And as this refined pose shows, his manners are pretty great
too. He loves other dogs and thinks that playing is the best
thing ever!
Learn more about Donny at www.cochranehumane.ca.
Rocky View County funds and works with the Calgary and Cochrane
humane societies to ensure the welfare of animals throughout
the County.
Cemetery Cleanup
Summer maintenance at Rocky View County’s cemeteries
begins on May 21 and lasts into September.
To help our landscapers keep our cemeteries beautiful over
the summer months, all man-made flowers and mementos
must be removed from gravesites by Victoria Day.
Fresh flowers are always welcome. Beginning in
October, you can once again place silk flowers and
mementos at gravesites.
For more information, search “Cemeteries”
at www.rockyview.ca.
10 | Vantage Point
Stained Glass has often been described as a form of “living art” due to the way it changes with each passing hour.
Art, Craft, and Passion
Ever since Elizabeth Hertz
was a young girl she has had
an interest in Art. Since 1979,
she has been in the business
of stained glass, making
breathtakingly beautiful
statement pieces. Elizabeth
has ability to create designs
that truly encapsulate the
personality and preferences
of each of her clients.
After opening a studio in
Calgary, Elizabeth created
custom pieces for her urban
clients. Six years later, her
work was so well regarded
that she no longer needed
to advertise. To this day, her
work comes through wordof-mouth – and now, maybe
through Vantage Point.
Needing a more relaxed
space, conducive to her
creative process, Elizabeth
and her family moved to
Bragg Creek. It was a natural
fit for the native Calgarian –
Bragg Creek was always a
stop en route as she travelled
to Banff and Canmore to visit
family members.
In addition to her glasswork,
Elizabeth has also branched
out into other artistic
endeavours, including
residential and commercial
decorating work, show-home
interiors, drapery design, and
art floors.
Something about the area
called to her. Maybe it
was the beautiful Rocky
Mountains watching over
the small hamlet, or the
already-established art
community, or the quiet
and peaceful rural lifestyle.
Or perhaps a combination
of all these factors have
allowed Elizabeth to create
a beautiful home for her
children, a big, open studio
space for her work, and a
small store selling her art
and antiques.
Elizabeth Hertz’s
Suncatchers Design Studio
is located at 55 Burntail Drive
in Bragg Creek, and you
can reach her by e-mailing
[email protected].
Do you know an entrepreneur,
an interesting person, or a
neat place in Rocky View
County? Send an e-mail to
[email protected] to
let us know.
Rocky View County | 11
The squeaky wheel
gets the grease.
Be the squeaky wheel.
Your County, Your Money, Your Voice
On May 21, the County will be hosting an open house where
you can let us know your thoughts on road maintenance,
social services, recreation opportunities, and any other
service that the County provides – or that you think we
should provide.
Where are we doing too much? Where are we not doing
enough? Where do we have things just right?
Visit www.rockyview.ca/YourVoice for more information
about this open house and other ways to provide your input.
We’ll hear from others how the County should be spending
its time and money. Make sure we hear from you, too!
-0406 © Rocky View County
Rocky View County is embarking on long-term service
planning, and we want to hear from you about the services
and the service standards you want to see in the future.