Good News for the Pass

We have had quite an interesting week here in the Pass. More changes and some very exciting news. At council this week we passed second and third readings for rezoning the new Shane Stewart and Doug Bergen development from grouped country residential to R1a. The new rezoning will see about 38 acres developed into homes (single family residential and multi-family) for 500 to 600 people. Had the property remained as country residential, as many area residents wanted, it would have allowed homes for only 30 to 40 people. It is hard for me to believe how people can want to see our land wasted in that obscene fashion with country residential. We do, after all, have a very limited developable land base in Crowsnest Pass. If we were to allow our beautiful Crowsnest Pass to develop in that fashion to provide homes for 500 people with country residential acreages we would need to waste 750 acres.

On to the most exciting news we have had in Crowsnest Pass since the announcement of the resort on Crowsnest Lake. This week Bridgecreek Development Corporation announced the inking of a deal with Carleton Hotels for the construction of a Radisson Hotel. The plan is for a large hotel convention centre located on the 52 acres north of the river close to central Blairmore. The announcement couldn't have come at a better time. Congratulations Bridgecreek!

We did have an interesting if minor debate at council this week regarding a trailer on our small trailer park in Blairmore vacated due to the death of the tenant. The rental agreement requires the trailer to moved in such an instance. The woman's family wanted to rent out the trailer rather than moving it. Seemingly a pretty straight forward solution would be to allow her that option. But the trailer is sitting on a water main with no room to re-locate either the trailer or the water line. Dean Ward made a motion to allow the family to rent out the trailer, without any consideration on how we would repair or upgrade that water line. Council did turn down that motion.

Council after considerable debate agreed to hold both a spring and fall cleanup next year. Residents will be informed as to when they will be picked up and will have one week to place their excess materials out for pickup. Each clean up will be completed in three weeks. To eleminate the abuse we saw last year we have reduced the types of materials we will take by over half.

Items in red text will not be picked up.
Only items in black text will be.
Metal

• Wire (fencing)
• Wood burners
• Vehicles
• Bath tubs
• Sinks
• General steel
• Gas cans
• Pipe
• Stoves
• Fridges and freezers, will remove at no charge
• Car parts
• Snowmobiles and parts
  Propane tanks
  Barbeques
  Wheels
  Hot water tanks
  Bikes
  Motorcycles

Rubble

• Construction material
  Insulation
  Dry wall
  Painted wood
  Lath and Plaster
  Stucco
  Cuboards
  Tiles
  Lino
  Rugs
  Shingles
  Siding
  Any painted wood
• House hold garbage (already bagged garbage)
  Bagged grass clippings
  Plastics (jugs, bottles, gas cans)
  Glass (windows and doors)
  Sheds
  Garages
  Campers
  Trailers
  Paper products
  Toilets
  Garden Waste
• Mattresses
• Couches
• Playground equipment
• Electronics
• Sports and exercise equipment
• Sinks
  

Burnable

• Grass
  Concrete
  Rock
  Gravel
• Tree Branches
  Unpainted wood
  File Type Material

Other

• Fence posts with concrete on them
• Tires
  Batteries

Norman

The past year definately saw an awful lot of changes here in the Pass. The worst being the loss of Norman in a motorcycle accident. I can hardly imagine never being able to hunt, fish, or just goof off with each other again. These pictures posted here are from our very last fishing trip. They are the last pictures take of Norman.

After many cancellations because of scheduling problems we finally made it down to the Flathead at the beginning of September. Fishing wasn't great but it was definately a good and interesting day that started out with a flat tire half way in to the Flathead. On the way in and again the way out we made big plans for the coming year. It had been a couple of years since we hunted pheasants together and this was the year we were going to get our dogs out again.

Plans were made for some fall walleye fishing and of course winter perch and whitefish. The big plan though was about touring on motorcycles. Norm had just purchased a used Goldwing and was very excited about doing some touring. I planned on buying a bike this coming spring and we were going to get some serious riding done in 2008. I think I would still like to do that.

The top picture is Norm fighting what was the last fish of our time together. The bottom picture is the last picture taken of Norman. His last fish.

Almost a year

Didn't really get into this blogging thing after starting it up. Hard to believe it has been almost a year since my first and only post. Guess it should be updated more often. Lots has happened in the past year.

Erik has started back to school in Vancouver. Sean has been living with us as has his girlfriend Aiko, who has had to go back to Japan a couple of weeks ago because her visa expired. Sean is working at a little plant in Cowley that paints siding. Paddy is still at the bank.

I have seen a number of changes in the last year. I started up a guide service this past spring Crowsnest on the Fly. Check the website even though I am not really doing it much. This summer I was offered and accepted a job with Bridgecreek Development Corporation. So I am now gainfully employed. Inspite of a nasty smear campaign launched against me, because of my new job, I was succesful in my bid for re-election to municipal council. Just after the municipal elections I was asked to seek the Progressive Conservative nomination vacated by Dave Coutts. After considerable thought I decided to give it a try. We ran a good campaign for the three weeks we had and ended up selling the second most memberships but we were unable to beat the reeve of Willow Creek who had been campaigning for the past 4 years. Even though nomination campaigns are all about selling memberships and getting them out to vote I doubt Southern Alberta was ready for a Tory as red as me. In response to a question at the Fort Macleod forum regarding conservative values I answered "As far as socially, I would be the reddest of the red tories. The history of western civilization is one of the struggle that all people be treated equally under the law. I would work to continue on that progressive path". I doubt very much that was the response the woman asking or the assembly wanted to hear.

Well that would be the quick and dirty for the past year.