Belanger disappeared in May 2009

Christopher John Elder, will be back in Stony Plain Court on January 25th.

The 35 year-old man had been charged with the first degree murder of Martin Belanger. Belanger went missing on May 17th, 2009. The 24 year-old had gone out shopping, but never returned. He had been driving his 2006 Ford F150, which was found 2 months later, abandoned in Tomahawk.

On January 5th, police spotted Elder drinking at a Spruce Grove bar. RCMP approached him about being violation of his bail terms (strict curfew and no alcohol). Elder took off running, and was apprehended using tracking dogs a short while later. When he tried to resist arrest, he was bitten by one of the police dogs.

Because of his injuries, the original court date (January 11th) was rescheduled to the 25th. He now faces additional charges of violating bail terms, and resisting arrest.

Happy New Year from Heritage Park in Stony Plain!

Stony Plain's New Year's Party

The 13th Annual Family Fest on December 31, 2011 will be held at Heritage Park!

Activities include:

Live Entertainment 6:00-8:30 pm
Face Painting 6:00-8:30 pm
Magician 6:00-9:00 pm
Outdoor Skating 6:00-9:00 pm
Hot Dogs & Popcorn 6:00-9:00 pm
Horse Drawn Wagon Rides 6:00 p.m.-8:30 pm
Hot Chocolate 6:00-9:00 pm
Bouncy Tent 6:00-9:00pm
Old Time Christmas at the Museum 6:00-9:00pm

FIREWORKS! 8:45 pm

Family Fest relies heavily on the donations received by our community. If you would like to be a sponsoring partner – please contact Melanie at 780-963-8591.

Come out on December 31st and see what we have to offer!

Attempted abduction

On Friday, December 16th, 2011 Spruce Grove RCMP received a complaint of an attempted abduction.  Just before 4:00 p.m, a 15 year old girl was walking home from school on Grove Drive.  A male pulled up beside her driving an older, dirty silver/grey Chev/GMC truck.  He asked her to come with him.  The girl stepped back and stated that she had a cell phone and would go to the nearby 7-11.   The male insisted she would be better off if she came with him.  When she refused, he rolled his window up and departed the scene.

The male is described as wearing a dark jacket with large sunglasses, and having a husky build with tanned skin.  He had short hair. She did not get a close enough look to warrant working with a composite artist.

Spruce Grove / Stony Plain RCMP continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call the RCMP at 780-962-2222 or 780-968-7267 or to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Diva Lady Day Spa

A local spa that offers residents a place to go for some relaxation and pampering has been recognized as the 1,500^th business to be licensed within Spruce Grove.

Monique Collins, owner of Diva Lady Day Spa, was presented with a commemorative plaque on behalf of the City of Spruce Grove on Nov. 30 to recognize this milestone.

“It’s wonderful to see the confidence that so many businesses have shown in choosing Spruce Grove as their community of choice to establish their business” said Mayor Stuart Houston.

“I would like to congratulate Monique, her staff, and the overall business community as our city records its 1,500^th licensed business. I want to wish you and the many businesses that were established before you many years of prosperity and success in our community.”

Located at #5, 20 McLeod Avenue, just east of Westgrove Drive, Diva Lady Day Spa celebrated its official grand opening on Oct. 15, 2011.

The spa offers clients a range of services, including infrared sauna treatments, body wraps, manicures and pedicures.

Spruce Grove City Hall

With a commitment to balancing the needs of a growing community, while also maintaining high service levels, Spruce Grove city council has approved a 2.52 per cent increase in property taxes for 2012.

The tax increase is part of the City’s 2012 – 2014 Corporate Plan, which was adopted by city council on Nov. 28. The plan also allows for an increase in the utility rate from $3.581 to $3.905 per cubic metre and the franchise fee rates will be an additional 4.5 points for electricity and 2.4 points for natural gas.

“City council and administration worked to develop a plan that focuses on sustainable and affordable growth,” said Mayor Stuart Houston. “We believe these increases are reasonable and will allow the City to continue to provide our residents with the quality of life they enjoy in Spruce Grove.”

A property owner with a property assessed at $323,000 will pay an additional $3.28 per month in property taxes. A utility customer who uses 17.5 cubic metres per month will pay an additional $5.67 for water and sewer each month. Franchise fees will increase by approximately $1.30 for electricity and $1.37 for natural gas for a typical consumer each month.

The increase in utility rates is effective Jan. 1, 2012, and the increase in franchise fees is effective March 1, 2012. The actual mill rate for property taxes will be set in April/May 2012. Property tax notices are usually sent out at the end of May.

The corporate plan also outlines the City’s new initiatives for 2012. Some of the new initiatives are:

• The grand opening of Jubilee Park and relocation of Canada Day festivities;
• Replacing the playground on McLeod Avenue and Broxton Park and adding playgrounds in Harvest Ridge and Jesperdale;
• Upgrading all asphalt trails in Westview Park and adding a trail to the Deer Park playground;
• Paving south of Millgrove Drive (over the water main replacement done in 2011) and Grove Drive, from Calahoo Road to Woodside;
• Replacing the water main for Wellington Crescent;
• Adding four new permanent full-time firefighters and one permanent full-time RCMP officer; and
• Implementing recommendations from the Economic Development Strategy.

For more information, visit www.sprucegrove.org/corporateplan.

[Source: City of Spruce Grove]

Proposed Tri Village Commons development

The next step in a proposed “village-style” development located adjacent to the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre has been approved by City Council.

Both the development agreement and the sale agreement for the proposed development, called Tri Village Commons, were approved at the Nov. 28 council meeting.

Approval of the actual site layout is still subject to a development permit application, which is expected to be submitted in early 2012.

The development agreement sets out the conditions for servicing the lands that will house the development. This includes road improvements, sanitary sewer extension and service, and landscaping requirements.

The sale agreement approves the sale of approximately five acres of City-owned land for the construction of the development. The land is located west of Jennifer Heil Way and south of the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre.

The $30-million proposed development will create a “village” look and feel by incorporating a variety of building sizes and tenants including a:

• Four-storey Holiday Inn Express and Suites hotel, featuring just over 100 rooms with meeting and banquet facilities for up to 150 guests, a business centre, swimming pool, gym and breakfast area.
• Single-storey family restaurant adjacent to the hotel and connected by a pedway.
• Single-storey building that will house a variety of retail stores and shops.
• Single-storey building for small food and coffee shop-related businesses.
• Sports-themed restaurant and lounge.
• Three-storey professional building for medical and therapeutic services, as well as general office space.

Construction is anticipated to start in the spring of 2012 after a Development Permit has been approved by Council.

[Source: City of Spruce Grove]

Other resources

• Description of project
• Colliers
• Tri-Village Common Marketing Brochure
• Spruce Grove Examiner

Parkland County ECC

After several months of hard work, Parkland County’s Emergency Communications Centre (ECC) has met all the requirements to become a National Academy of Emergency Dispatch (NAED) Accredited Center of Excellence. Even more exciting is that Parkland County is only the 2nd centre in Canada and 19th in North America to achieve this distinction.

“For the past 23 years, the ECC has served the community by keeping up-to-date with on-going training and the desire to deliver the best possible service and ensure accountability to the responding emergency crews,” said Kerri-Doone Swedberg, supervisor, emergency communications centre. “Being only the second centre in Canada to receive this accreditation proves the quality and integrity of our communications centre and our staff.”

The NAED requires a high level of excellence and commitment to meet their standards for accreditation. Parkland County has completed the required 20-point process of accreditation and is committed to maintaining the standards required as an Accredited Center of Excellence. The Fire Priority Dispatch (EFD) system gives Parkland County’s fire dispatchers access to the latest technology in call prioritizing, dispatch responses and life saving pre-arrival instructions.

“The accreditation also provides other advantages,” continued Swedberg. “We will also benefit from the 30 years of experience the National Academy has in the field of emergency communications, giving us the opportunity to learn from emergency dispatch centers from around the world. We look forward to our exciting new future as an Accredited Center of Excellence!”

Parkland County’s ECC provides 911 call answer to over 90,000 phone lines and dispatches fire, law enforcement, animal control services, and public works for various municipalities within and bordering the county.

Points of Interest:

• The National Academy has 30 years experience with emergency dispatch protocols, which guarantees the highest caliber of protocol in a communication centre.
• Academy membership is comprised of nearly 41,000 certified members dedicated to public safety profession, and there are more than 3200 communication centres that utilize the Academy’s protocol system, with approx 100 centres achieving the status of an Accredited Center for Excellence (ACE).
• All ECC dispatch staff is required to be trained and certified in Emergency Fire Dispatch protocols, and they are required to recertify every two years to ensure current and update qualifications.
• Case reviews conducted by the ECC operator must achieve 90 – 100% compliance per call in order to successfully achieve the Academy’s standards.
• The ECC has a four member Quality Assurance Team that is responsible for daily, monthly and quarterly case reviews which provide objective and consistent quality management throughout the centre
• Quality Assurance provides standards that are measurable, consistent and achievable and are the foundation for the centre’s success. Quality cannot exist without standards and without a measurable method of conformance for accountability and customer service.

Highway collisions

The Spruce Grove / Stony Plain RCMP are at present investigating 3 different motor vehicle collisions on Highway 16 between Highway 60 (Acheson) and Highway 779 (Stony Plain).  None of these collisions have resulted in serious injuries but traffic is traveling very slow in this area both east and west bound.

RCMP are reminding everyone to drive carefully in these winter driving conditions and to take their time when traveling.  Please do not attempt to pass vehicles or collisions on the shoulder or in the ditches.

Stony Plain cultural plan

The Town of Stony Plain invites all members of the community to provide input into the development of the Town’s first Cultural Master Plan, by participating in a Community Forum on Nov. 23. “Our residents will have the opportunity to provide first-hand input into the future of the arts, culture and heritage of this community,” says Ken Lemke, mayor of Stony Plain. “While the Town values the integral role that the arts, culture and heritage play in municipal planning to create a sustainable community and to help define our unique community spirit, it is citizens’ input that is required for this plan to be successfully developed and implemented. I encourage all residents to share their opinions and views about arts and culture in Stony Plain.”

An important step in establishing a cultural vision for the Town, the Cultural Master Plan will assist the Town in identifying municipal and community priorities for strengthening the arts, culture and heritage sector, thereby enhancing quality of place and the attraction residents, businesses and visitors.

The nearly year-long project, which is scheduled to be unveiled in Spring 2012, will provide a long-term framework and vision for the continued preservation, protection and enhancement of the Town’s cultural sector, will identify key opportunities and specific strategies the Town can implement over the next several years and will help shape the future cultural development of the community.

The purpose of the community forum is to engage a broad base of community members in discussion around the priorities for cultural development in Stony Plain.

Background

In May 2010, Council approved $60,000 to develop a Cultural Master Plan. The Town retained the services of Millier Dickinson Blais, Inc., Canada’s largest municipal strategic planning and economic development specialist consulting firm, to manage the project. The Toronto-based company has completed cultural plans for municipalities and regions of all sizes and circumstances across Canada. Municipal cultural planning is an integrated approach to local and regional cultural development that puts culture at the centre of planning and economic development agendas. “With the growth that will come to Stony Plain in the coming years, now is the time to integrate culture into the Town’s planning and economic development activities” said Lauren Millier, principal of Millier Dickinson Blais, at the launch of the project in August.

The community forum takes place at the Stony Plain Public Golf Course (18 Fairway Dr.) from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Wed., Nov. 23. As space is limited, citizens interested in participating are encouraged to register in advance, online via the Town’s website (www.stonyplain.com). For more information, visit www.stonyplain.com.

[Source: Town of Stony Plain]