A4 | The Mountaineer | Rocky Mountain House, AB www.rock-e.

ca Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Opinion Opinion
EDITORIAL
|
LOOKING BACK
|
from the files of The Mountaineer
Writing is the only profession where no one
considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.
Airline fatalities are rare, but too many last week
Jules Renard
(Feb. 22, 1864 - May 22, 1910)
French author
3D printing for good and evil
Publisher
Glen Mazza
Sales Manager
Penny Allen
Editor
Laura Button
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Published every Tuesday at Rocky
Mountain House, Alberta, by
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House, Alberta, T4T 1S8
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5 YEARS AGO
Todd Becker was selected by
Rocky Town Council as the new
town manager, succeeding Larry
Holstead.
A majority of town voters
decided against reinstating video
lottery terminals in Rocky after a
plebiscite.
Died: Roy Como, 83.
10 YEARS AGO
Jack Courtright celebrated his
100th birthday.
Died: Bill Zimmer, 83; Frank
Fillinger, 49; John Harper, 85; Mary
Murphy, 85.
20 YEARS AGO
A severe storm, with hailstones
as large as baseballs, hit the area,
with Crimson Lake hit the worst.
Local dollmaker Pat Frayn won
rst prize at the Calgary Stampede
in the all porcelain doll category.
Died: George Loxam, 77.
30 YEARS AGO
Four-way stop signs were
installed at the intersection of 50th
Street and 52nd Avenue.
A single-vehicle accident, on
Highway 54, claimed the life of
Elizabeth Cote of Alhambra.
Died: Jack Bigland, 78; Doris
Bassant, 77.
60 YEARS AGO
Construction started on a new
store for Modern Electric; and a
remodeling job on the Ritz Cafe;
also on houses for Cliff Brierley,
Larry Barrett, Bernard Leavitt,
Sam Bidinger and George Baxter.
Eight hundred cars at Crimson
Lake on Sunday.
Married: in Lacombe, Pearl
Bruinsma and Cornelius Nienhuis;
in Calgary, Madeline Garland
of Everdell and Paul Ricalton
of Calgary; in Edmonton, Hazel
Sorvisto of Bingley and Eric
Eisner of Fawcett.
70 YEARS AGO
Hon. A. J. Hooke was nominated
Social Credit candidate and George
Morrison CCF candidate.
Married: Rene Marson of
Stauffer and Roy Leavitt of Butte.
80 YEARS AGO
Jack Browning advertised a two
day stampede.
Forty nine babies were examined
at the W.I. Clinic.
Alice Sharpe of Vancouver was
visiting Maisie Durnford.
85 YEARS AGO
Miss Drylie of Pittsburg. Pen., was
visiting her sister, Mrs. D. Spence.
Orangemen celebrated July 12 at
A. W. Brockmans farm.
Bruce Williams sold his draying
business to J. T. Edgerton.
Rev. O. E. Mann wrote a letter
to the paper, complaining about
people who let their cows and
horses run at large.
90 YEARS AGO
The Board of Trade was assured
by the Department of Highways
that there would soon be a highway
between Rocky Mountain House
and Red Deer.
Mrs. George Herbert became
lost in the muskeg when going
from a neighbours and it was next
morning before searchers found
her.

The best defence against crime is a com-

munity working together, RCMP Staff
Sergeant Bill Laidlaw told The Mountaineer
during Police Week in May.
All the same, law enforcement agencies play
an enormous role in maintaining order.
In 2003, RCMP members at the Rocky
Mountain House detachment had some of the
highest caseloads per ofcer
in the province. Each ofcer
handled, on average, 166 Criminal
Code cases per year. That wasnt
including provincial statutes,
federal statutes, municipal bylaws
or Trafc Safety Act infractions.
At the time, then-sergeant Brian Halladay
sought two additional members to bring the
number of ofcers to 22, divided between town
and county beats.
The reasoning behind the request included
the transient workers staying in local hotels
and motels who swell the towns population by
several hundred people every night, as well as
the thousands of recreational users who enjoy
the west country every weekend. Both reasons
stand today.
The Rocky RCMP detachment is busy, and
increasingly so as their quarterly reports to
town and county councils demonstrate.
Every week you have the opportunity to see
just what has been keeping members occupied
in The Mountaineers Police Report.
If the published weekly report wasnt busy
enough, remember that minor accidents, deer
collisions, false alarms, people temporarily
reported missing, accidental 911 calls, and most
other minor infractions have been excluded.
Calls that do make the paper range from the
serious to the absurd; all of them take hours or
days of an ofcers time.
Another enforcement agency feeling the
pinch is Clearwater Countys Highway Patrol.
They added a new ofcer in June, bringing the
Community Peace Ofcer tally for Clearwater
County to ve. Community Peace Ofcers patrol
country roads, enforcing provincial and federal
legislation as well as certain County bylaws.
RCMP Staff Sergeant Bill Laidlaw noted to
County Council in June that due to retirements
and transfers, the detachment was short a few
members for the rst part of 2014.
So The Mountaineer is gratied to learn that
three more RCMP members will be coming to
Rocky in 2015.
Clearwater County and Rocky Town Coun-
cils heard the news from Laidlaw over the past
month: three new permanent full-time posi-
tions are coming to the Rocky Mountain House
detachment next year. That will bring the total
number of ofcers to 30. More uniforms to crack
down on impaired drivers, and tackle the steep
caseload of domestic violence, and combat theft
and crimes against persons that have been on
the rise in Rocky and area.
T
he Mountaineer welcomes the opportunity
to photograph cheque passing and donation
events.
These photographs provide much needed
publicity for charitable donations, and often
serve a great purpose for non-prot groups
as they attempt to raise funds for important
programs and agencies.
However, The Mountaineer does have a few
policies that apply.
First and most importantly, the donation must
be a minimum of $250. This is based on the time
involved it takes for The Mountaineer staff to
handle the photograph, and also the cost to
publish it.
The $250 rule can be waived by the editor
in the event a non-prot group, particularly a
youth group, has engaged in fundraising.
Thirdly, no thank you messages will be
included in the cheque passing photograph. The
Mountaineer policy on Thank you messages
is that they are a personal message from one
person or organization to another, and thus
must be paid for in the advertising section.
If you have a donation which meets or exceeds
these criteria, feel free to call The Mountaineer
(403-845-3334) to book a photographer for your
event.
Three new
RCMP coming
to Rocky
More cops
to ght
crime
T
wenty-rst century technology
is nally catching up to the
imaginations of authors and
lmmakers of the 20th century.
No other eld of study fascinates
quite like medical bionics.
This is the next generation of
prosthetics: mechanical prostheses
operated by electrical or biological
cues.
The science and engineering that
go into building a bionic device
are complex. Dont believe the
silver screen that might make you
believe otherwise, it takes more
than modelling a forearm out of
ballistics gel to recreate the range
of use and motion of a human
forelimb.
While bionic prosthetics
are becoming the rst choice
for adults recovering from
amputations, children who were
either born without extremities
or lost arms or legs to accident
or illness have been largely
under-served by the technology.
The devices are expensive;
prohibitively so when you factor
in a childs growth. (How often do
you have to buy larger-sized shoes
for your school-aged children?
Multiply that cost by several tens
of thousands and youve got a ball
park gure of what a new hand
or arm would
run after every
growth spurt).
But a University
of Central
Florida Ph.D.
candidate named
Albert Manero
hopes to make
bionic prosthetics
available to
younger patients,
using another
advanced piece of
technology: the 3D printer.
Manero recently outtted a
six-year-old boy with a bionic
prosthetic.
Alex Pring was born without
part of his right arm. The limb
stops just above where his right
elbow should be.
The new arm is controlled by
Alex alone, much like a natural
limb. A ex of his right bicep
allows him to grip and grasp
objects in the prosthetics hand.
The boy is looking forward to
shaking hands with everyone he
meets, and enveloping his mother
in a two-armed hug.
The limb is still a crude
prototype, but Manero has shared
the design online in hope someone
else can improve on it, to rene the
limb for Alex and others like him.
Thats putting 3D printing to
good use. There are others who are
not so altruistic.
In 2012, the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security cautioned that
existing technology that allowed
rearms to be manufactured using
3D printing was a threat to public
safety.
This spring, the Canadian
government issued a request for
proposals to examine 3D printing
technology and its potential
implications for the manufacture
of rearms, their components
and ammunition and for current
rearms legislation and policy.
While many countries have laws
against manufacturing rearms,
including Canada, laws can only
keep the honest people honest.
Its a necessary evil that
legislative bodies have to monitor
the illicit use of new technology.
The thought of illicit guns readily
and easily available is worrisome;
Manero and Alexs prosthetic is a
much-needed reminder that this
technology can be used to achieve
great things.
LAURA BUTTON is Editor of The
Mountaineer. She can be reached at editor@
mountaineer.bz.
I
ts reported that the three air-
craft incidents from last week
have surpassed the number of
plane fatalities in the entirety of
2013.
The Bureau of Aircraft Acci-
dents Archives (B3A) reports that
there were 459 deaths in 2013 from
aircraft accidents. This past week,
there were equally as many fatali-
ties.
On July 17, 298 people were
killed when Malaysia Airlines
Flight MH17 was shot down
by a missile while ying over
Ukraine. Six days later, 48 people
were killed and 10 injured when
TransAsia Airways Flight GE 222
crashed while trying to land dur-
ing a storm. And not even 24 hours
later, Air Algerie Flight AH5017
vanished from radar while over
northern Mali and was later found
in a desert, 116 people on board
were all dead.
The Crimean
crisis is to blame
for the rst ight
and possible bad
weather is to
blame for the lat-
ter, something so
unfortunate but
rare, say experts.
Ronan Bubert,
founder of the
B3A, told CTV
News that over
the past 20 years aircraft accidents
have been declining due to the ad-
vancements in safety precautions
and equipment.
It is estimated that approxi-
mately three million people y
each day, some for leisure and oth-
ers for business, in nearly 90,000
ights.
While working for Air Canada a
few years ago, I would encounter
people who ew ve or six times a
week and were known as regulars
at the check-in desk.
However, the likelihood of being
in a plane crash is 11 million to
one. There is a greater chance of
being killed in a shark attack than
in an aviation accident. It has also
been said that people have sur-
vived 95 per cent of reported plane
crashes.
These recent airline incidents
are unfortunate and freak ac-
cidents that were at the cost of
too many lives. While the world
mourns the lives of the individuals
on board those ights, they also
need to understand the rarity of
these incidents.
BRITTANY FONG is a summer reporter at
The Mountaineer and she can be contacted
at brittany@mountaineer.bz.
SMARTEN UP
LAURA
BUTTON
SMARTEN UP
UNDER THE
PALM TREE
BRITTANY
FONG
w
c
f
a
w
b
t
u
UNDER THE
Donation photos
A group of students from Kamikawa, Japan, arrived on an exchange visit twenty five
years ago. FILE PHOTO | THE MOUNTAINEER
B4 | The Mountaineer | Rocky Mountain House, AB NEWS Tuesday, July 29, 2014
www.rock-e.ca
Highlights Highlights
PUBLIC NOTICES
(30)
Box 550
4340 - 47th Avenue
Rocky Mountain House, AB T4T 1A4
Office Hours
Weekdays
8:00 am 4:30 pm
Phone 403-845-4444 | www.clearwatercounty.ca
Follow Clearwater County on Facebook or on Twitter @clearwatercnty.
COUNCIL MEETING DATE CHANGES
Please be advised that three Council meeting dates have been changed in
August and September.
Upcoming meeting dates are as follows:
Tuesday, August 12
Monday, August 25
Monday, September 8
Monday, September 22
Regular Council Meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesday of every
month and start at 9:00 a.m.
Development Permits
NOTICE is hereby given that the Development Officer or the Municipal Planning Commis-
sion of Clearwater County has approved the issuing of a development permit for the follow-
ing permitted use:
Development Permit 147/14 - Invequity Developments Ltd. on behalf of Constance
Kosik - Construction of a residence and detached garage on Plan 932 1393, Block 1,
Lot 4 (Pt. SE 25-37-08-W5).
NOTICE is hereby given that the Development Officer or the Municipal Planning Commis-
sion of Clearwater County has approved the issuing of development permits for the follow-
ing discretionary uses:
Development Permit 145/14 - Ronald Murphy - Construction of a residential shop on Plan
762 0036, Lot 1 (Pt. SW 19-40-06-W5).
Development Permit 146/14 - Brent Carfantan - Construction of a residence and a pole
shed on Plan 942 1730, Block 1, Lot 1 (Pt. SE 03-38-04-W5).
Anyone claiming to be affected by such decisions may appeal the decision by serving
written notice of appeal not later than August 12, 2014.
Notice of appeal, accompanied by a $300.00 appeal fee, should be addressed to the
Secretary, Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, Clearwater County.
Dated this 29th day of July, 2014.
Holly Bily, Dustin Bisson, Kim Jakowski and Eleanor Pengelly
Development Officers
PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the
Council of Clearwater County
will be conducting a public
hearing prior to considering
the granting of second and
third readings to Bylaw No.
992/14. This bylaw is to redes-
ignate approximately 10.00
acres within SE 17-35-05-W5
from Agriculture District A to
Institutional District P.
A Public Hearing will be held
on Tuesday, August 12,
2014, 11:00 am at Clearwater
County Council Chambers.
The Hearing will be conduct-
ed under the Chairmanship of
the Reeve or his designated person for the purpose of hearing options, comments
and objections to the proposals.
The Public may inspect all documents pertaining to these items at Clearwater County
office, 4340 - 47 Avenue, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, during regular office hours
8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. A copy of the proposed plan may be
obtained from the Clearwater County office.
The Public Hearing will be held in accordance with the established Municipal Public
Hearing Process Policy which will be available at the Clearwater County Office at the
above mentioned address and office hours.
Dated this 29th day of July, 2014
Ron Leaf, Municipal Manager
Clearwater County
Box 550, Rocky Mountain House, AB T4T 1A4
Redistrict +/- 10.0 acres
fromAgriculture A
to Institutional P
H
W
Y

2
2
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BY BRITTANY FONG
SUMMER REPORTER
Clearwater County
councillors approved
39 acres to be rezoned
from agricultural
district A to a country
residence district CR
for a potential 13-lot
subdivision as part of
the Ferrier-Garth Area
Structure Plan (ASP).
The applicants, Dan
and Frances Spongberg
and agent Vic Maxwell,
appeared in front of
county councillors July
22.
The land is located
approximately eight
kilometres west of
Rocky Mountain House
on Highway 11A. It will
allow for potential buyers
to purchase residential
parcels ranging between
1 and 1.5 hectares (2.50
and 4 acres) in size.
Council held a public
hearing August 28,
2012 for residents to
provide their input on
the development. Some
concerns voiced at the
meeting were sufcient
groundwater supply
that does not interfere
with existing water wells
and how sewage will be
disposed of.
Council decided to
delay the third reading
of the bylaw until
engineers completed
water suitability and
wastewater tests.
Since then, it has been
proven that there is
sufcient groundwater
supply for the parcels,
but water treatment may
be required to achieve
the proper human water
quality consumption.
It was also said that
purchasers would be
made aware that some
properties are suitable
for a standard sewage
disposal eld while
others may require a
treatment mound.
In addition, engineers
found that there is a layer
of sandstone bedrock
roughly two metres
below the surface that
could interfere with
basement construction
that landowners must
also be made aware of.
The rst reading of the
bylaw 963/12 took place
two years ago on July
24, 2012. Since the initial
reading, three councillors
who had been re-elected
and were in attendance
during the initial reading
Reeve Pat Alexander,
deputy reeve Earl
Graham and councillor
John Vandermeer were
the only members who
were able to vote and
discuss the bylaw. All
three councillors were
in favour of the third
reading.
The Ferrier-Garth
ASP was adopted in 1987
and deemed the land
as a long-term future
development. In 2010,
an amendment that was
approved by council was
to consider the land for a
future subdivision.
BY SARAH MAETCHE
STAFF REPORTER
A portion of the
Chungo Road, a remote
road north of Nordegg,
will be re-constructed
by Clearwater County in
the coming months.
The road received
extensive damage during
the June 2013 ood.
Councillors voted to
award the tender of the
project, contingent on
provincial funding, at
their regular council
meeting on July 22.
The re-construction
of 2.1 kilometres of road
includes a new align-
ment for a portion of the
road used in part as a
resource road accessing
a wellsite.
Three bids were
received for the out-
lined work and Lamb
Enterprises Ltd. was
conditionally awarded
the tender as the lowest
valid bidder.
An initial project esti-
mate, totalling $1,357,125,
was submitted to the
provincial government
in November for funding
consideration.
This project was
submitted to the prov-
ince for consideration
and was approved for
$850,000 through the
Disaster Relief Program
(DRP) and $507,125
through the Flood Re-
covery Erosion Control
Program (FREC), stated
Manager of Infrastruc-
ture Erik Hansen in
his report. Through
the tender process the
project total has been
increased to $1,856,634,
creating a $499,509 short-
fall.
The revised project
costs were submitted to
the province and Public
Works is waiting for a
response to determine if
the funding shortfall will
also be covered.
Councillor John
Vandermeer noted that
if the province declines
to cover the funding
shortfall, the remainder
of costs will fall back on
Clearwater County.
Im inclined to not go
ahead without funding
in place and to wait for
a second tendering, he
said.
Hansen stated that it
was possible to put the
project up for tender
again in the fall and
award it in 2015.
It is likely we will
receive a little better
pricing and engage some
local players, he said.
Reeve Pat Alexander
noted that almost half
a million dollars in a
funding shortfall was a
signicant amount of
money for the amount
that was initially bud-
geted and the amount of
trafc on the road.
Hansen estimated that
the road re-construction
will inconvenience
industry, one industrial
user in particular.
Two million for a road
is still a lot of money for
a road, said Alexander.
Council decided to
move forward by award-
ing the tender condition-
ally. If a response is not
received from the provin-
cial government by Aug.
8, the contractor may be
asked to extend their bid,
which is only valid for 35
days, or the bid will be
declined and retendered
in the fall.
BY SARAH MAETCHE
STAFF REPORTER
A new gymnastics facility proposed in
Clearwater County tumbles ahead after
council approved the land re-zoning.
Clearwater County councillors
unanimously approved an application
to rezone 2.24 acres from Country
Residence District CR to the
Institutional District P.
Second and third readings to Bylaw
990/14 were granted after a public
hearing during their regular meeting on
July 22.
The approval of the landuse bylaw
will allow Janice Valstar to operate a
gymnastic business Flippin Out on the
property.
Rick and Janice Valstar currently
hold title to Plan 982 2931, Block 1, Lot
3 (PT. SE 28-39-07-W5M) containing 2.28
acres, said Development Ofcer Kim
Jakowski. The property is located just
west of the Town of Rocky Mountain
House boundary across the river, south
of the rodeo grounds.
The landowners are proposing to
operate a gymnastics centre on their
existing home acreage. Their focus is
to improve overall health and wellness
in athletes. The main purpose will be
to provide gymnastics instruction in a
variety of areas including: competitive
gymnastics, stunt training, parkour,
beginner groups and playschool.
The applicants previously received
a development permit approval for a
4,000 square foot residential shop on the
property.
They plan to use this residential shop
for the operation of the business should
they receive rezoning and development
approval for the business, said
Jakowski.
The applicant plans to upgrade the
current driveway, add a gravelled
parking pad and a 50x80x20 steel frame
construction, which would be used as
the gymnastics facility.
The inside of the building will
contain two restrooms, a classroom
area approximately 18x20, an entry
area and a small mezzanine, for the
purpose of providing space for an ofce
and viewing area, stated Valstar in
her letter presented to council. The
majority of the oor area will be covered
with gymnastics matting and gymnastic
equipment.
Valstar anticipates that the programs
run by herself and her daughter
Ashley will bring in approximately
100 participants. Programs will run
Monday to Friday with the possibility
of special events held on Saturdays.
Approximately ve part-time staff
members will be required.
Valstar has started taking pre-
registrations with 25 registered in the
preschool program and 35 to 40 school-
age children registered in regular
programs. Classes are estimated to start
in September.
By combining her business and living
quarters, Valstar says she can save
money.
There can be a lot of success,
she said. I want to create a strong
partnership with the county, noting
that she plans for her business to reach
areas like Caroline and Leslieville.
During the public hearing, Jakowski
noted no letters were received in
favour of or in opposition to the
application.
No members of the public appeared
in favour of or in opposition to the
application.
Jakowski also stated in Alberta
Transportations referral agency
comments that Valstar will be required
to apply for a roadside development
permit through Alberta Transportation
due to the lands proximity to the
provincial highway.
After the public hearing was closed,
councillors debated the application and
approved the rezoning of the subject
land.
First reading of Bylaw 990/14 was
granted by council on June 10.
County councillors approve
rezoning of 39-acre lot
Chungo Road to receive
repairs after 2013 ood
Flippin Out gymnastics
facility tumbles ahead
Clearwater County council approves land rezoning
Tender awarded,
contingent on
provincial
funding
Two major slides occurred along Chungo Road during the June
2013 flood, rendering the road unpassable.
FILE PHOTO | THE MOUNTAINEER