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.

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

Random attack by Spruce Grove Log Cabin

On Monday, August 8th, Spruce Grove RCMP received a complaint that a male had been assaulted.

The victim had been walking home, in the area of the Log Cabin, when two males jumped him and began to punch and kick him while he was on the ground. One of the attackers demanded that the victim hand over his money and  cell phone. The victim made attempts to get away, but was continually beaten.  Finally, he managed to run home, which was a few blocks away; the attackers followed. Once in his home, the attackers persisted, and tried to enter the front door. The victim’s father managed to keep the door shut, and the attackers too off.

RCMP intercepted both the accused a short distance from the victim’s residence. Neither of the attackers are known to the victim; it appears to be a random act.  The victim was treated at the hospital for a broken nose, several stitches on his face, and bruising all over his body. He will under go x-rays to determine other injuries once the swelling has gone down and he may require dental surgery in the future.

Dale UPRIGHT of Spruce Grove has been charged with Robbery, Attempt B&E and Utter Threats and has been remanded in custody.  Dale SWANSON of Spruce Grove has been charged with Robbery and was released on cash bail with conditions.

Both UPRIGHT and SWANSON will had their first court appearance in Stony Plain Provincial Court on August 10, 2011.

[Source: Spruce Grove RCMP]

Trinity was Fire Chief for a day

Trinity Kostner, a student at St. Joseph Elementary School won the honour to be Spruce Grove’s Fire Chief for a day.

Trinity took command of the department early in the day when she was picked up at school by a fire truck complete with a crew of fire fighters. The crew whisked her off to the fire hall for a quick tour.

After a quick tour Trinity joined her staff for a delicious lunch at McDonalds. After lunch it was back to the fire hall for a longer, fun-filled tour. Once she was done touring the fire hall her crew took her across the street for a tour of City Hall.

As soon as the tours were done it was time to go back to school. Trinity had the pleasure of picking the route the fire truck took as it drove her back to school. At school she shared all her stories from the day with her classmates. Once she filled her classmates in she dismissed her staff and finished her first shift as Spruce Grove’s Fire Chief for a Day.

According to Trinity the best part of her day was riding around in the fire truck because it was really cool.

Local free WiFi

Who needs an office when you can pull up to your local Starbucks, order a coffee,  and get free internet access?

Here is a list places that offer wireless internet in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove:

Stony Plain Library

You can access wireless internet (at a quiet desk) at the Stony Plain Library. You don’t even need a library card!  Click here for map.

City of Spruce Grove

Free Wi-Fi on the SG_Free_Internet network is now offered at the Agrena, Central Park, Rotary Playscape and Fuhr Sports Park from 6 a.m. to midnight. You do not need a username or password to connect.

Green Tea Frog

The Green Tea frog Is devoted to providing the most flavorful and enjoyable tea experience possible. Grab a tea, and surf the web for free! Click here for map.

Cafe Simone

Located in the Queen Street Medical Center in Spruce Grove, Cafe Simone is a hidden gem: a beautiful (and quiet) seating area, and good coffee, soup and sandwiches.  They are open until 5pm.  Click here for map.

Starbucks in Safeway

Both Safeway locations (Stony Plain and Spruce Grove) feature a Starbucks with a seating area, and free WiFi.  The greatest advantage to these hotspots is the hours: Safeway is open until 11pm most evenings.

Second Cup (Spruce Grove)

Thanks to Jeff Cubos for letting us know about the free WiFi at Second Cup.  He says that there aren’t a lot of plug-ins, but that there is a “secret” plug-in location under the fireplace.

Spruce Grove Library

Located in the newly renovated King Street Center, the Spruce Grove Library offers wireless access as well.  According to their website: “Wireless tickets can be picked up at the circulation desk. Each ticket lasts for one hour and there is no limit to the number of tickets you can use.“  Click here for map.

Mayor Stuart Houston

Here is Spruce Grove’s unofficial candidates for the 2010 Municipal Election.

Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name.

Mayor (1 position)

Houston, Stuart - Acclaimed

Aldermen (6 positions)

Acevedo, John

Acker, Jeff

Baxter, Louise

Gillie, Ann

Jensen, Glenn

Kesanko, Bill

McConnell, Jeremy

Rothe, Wayne

Steinburg, Bill

Turton, Searle

Public School Trustees (2 positions)

Parkland School Division No. 70 – Ward 5

Cameron, Eric

Kilduff, Dorcas

Kolodnicki, Darcy

Catholic Separate School Trustees (3 positions)

Evergreen Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 2 – Ward 2/sub1

Bernakevitch, Gerald

Malowany, Mel

Vasseur, Robert

Yaceyko, Richard

Slow down in school zones

With local students heading back to class on September 1, Spruce Grove Enforcement Services is asking motorists to take extra care on city streets, but especially in school zones.

“It’s not just the younger students that you need to watch out for,” says Sgt. Jason Starchuk. “Even high school kids can be preoccupied and distracted and they may not be paying full attention when they’re crossing the street.”

He’s asking drivers to be especially aware when travelling through Spruce Grove’s two school zones – on King Street between Brookwood and Woodhaven schools, and on Weston Drive at St. Joseph School. Reduced speed limits in those school zones will also resume on September 1.

Spruce Grove follows the Traffic Safety Act’s rules for school zones, with the speed limit reduced to 30 km/h from 8 to 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3 to 4:30 p.m. on school days.

Peace officers will be stepping up patrols, using photo enforcement and observing a zero-tolerance policy for speeding.

“Speeding in school zones can get expensive, because the fines are set on a sliding scale,” says Starchuk, “But imagine the cost if you actually hit a child.”

Starchuk says parents also have a responsibility to set a good example for their children when it comes to pedestrian safety.

“Always take your time, check for traffic and cross only when it’s safe,” he says. “When you teach your children that healthy respect for traffic you could be saving their lives.”

[Source: City of Spruce Grove]

New development plan

Spruce Grove is looking to the future now that City Council has adopted a new Municipal Development Plan. The MDP, titled Your Bright Future, unanimously passed third reading at council’s regular meeting on July 12.

The broad-based community plan sets out a vision for growth and change in Spruce Grove. It is based in community sustainability and brings together economic, environmental, and social elements. While the life of the plan is only until 2020 its parameters set vision for what the community could become in 2040.

Your Bright Future was developed through extensive community consultation, and fine tuned by the community and the City working together. Its framework is based on community identified needs for housing, parks, transportation, economic development, culture and heritage, recreation, community design, affordability, environmental management, and governance. The implementation of the plan will impact community members and the quality of life in Spruce Grove.

The path to Your Bright Future began in 2008, with the SpruceGroveQuest workshops, which identified the community’s values and vision for the future. Subsequent consultations included workshops, open houses and a web survey, which collected input on draft policies and the resulting drafts of the plan. Two public hearings gave the public opportunities to speak directly to council about the plan. Youth-specific sessions were included as part of the process.

“This plan represents a significant philosophical shift for our community, said Mayor Stuart Houston. “It also mirrors the maturing of the community as it moves from a bedroom community to a self-contained regional hub with a high quality of life.”

The mayor also noted that the plan truly represents the community’s vision for Spruce Grove because of the way it was developed.

“By involving our community from the grassroots level throughout this process, we have a plan that reflects all of our aspirations for what this city can become,” he said. “This is truly a comprehensive plan that will serve the entire Spruce Grove community

Your Bright Future will be implemented over the next ten years. A central component of the implementation strategy will be a major re-write of the Land Use Bylaw starting in the fall of 2010. The City will also develop indicators and targets to allow for on-going monitoring of the progress the City is making to achieve the community sustainability goals expressed in Your Bright Future. This progress will be reported annually to the community and Council.

[Source: City of Spruce Grove]

Spruce Grove will have new affordable housing spaces for seniors, after the provincial government contributed $7 million toward the construction of Copper Sky Lodge (L-R) Housing And Urban Affairs Minister Jonathan Denis, Seniors and Community Supports Minister Mary Anne Jablonski, and Spruce Grove-Sturgeon- St. Albert MLA Doug Horner presented the cheque to Phil Gaudet of Choices in Community Living, the company that will build the facility.

The province has committed $7 million to Choices in Community Living Inc. to help build new spaces at theCopper Sky Lodge in Spruce Grove.
“Alberta seniors deserve accommodations that meet their personal care needs and helps couples to continue living together as they age,” said Premier Ed Stelmach. “By increasing the supply of affordable housing with flexible care levels, the province is helping provide more options for seniors to remain as independent as possible while addressing their changing health and accommodations needs.”

“I’m proud that this new provincial funding will help build and update more than 1,000 new and updated spaces with adjustable levels of care,” said Mary Anne Jablonski, Minister of Seniors and Community Supports. “It reflects this government’s priority on preparing for an aging population, in part by helping more seniors to stay in their homes and communities longer.”

Increasing the supply of affordable spaces for seniors will create additional capacity in Alberta’s hospitals and emergency departments by providing alternative spaces for seniors to move into that will better meet their needs.

“Financing the construction of this new facility through capital bonds and ASLI is an innovative way of providing Spruce Grove seniors the choice and flexibility they want, and ought to have, to age in their own community,” said Ray Danyluk, Minister of Infrastructure.

The funding for the new spaces includes $55 million from Alberta Capital Bonds investments and $50 million from the provincially funded ASLI program. This will be leveraged with additional investment from the private and not-for profit sectors.

With this funding, the province has invested approximately $520 million towards developing and upgrading close to 9,500 affordable housing spaces with a variety of care levels since 1999.

The Copper Sky Lodge project is part of the Government of Alberta’s $7.2 billion investment in public infrastructure for 2010-2011 that will strengthen the economy, help keep Albertans working and provide core public services to maintain a high quality of life.

The Government of Alberta has a clear plan for a strong economic recovery. The Way Forward will bring Alberta back into a surplus position in three years by trimming government spending; using cash reserves to protect key programs; continuing to invest in public infrastructure; and ensuring that our province’s industries are competitive and continue to attract investment to provide jobs and prosperity. For more information on the plan visit Alberta.ca.

[Source: Government of Alberta]

21 Spruce Grove staff help Habitat

More than 20 City of Spruce Grove employees got a lesson in home construction on March 10, as they pitched in to help at the local Habitat For Humanity project on Spruce Ridge Road.

The charitable organization is completing six houses for families who can’t afford a conventional mortgage, using mostly volunteer labour. The families who will live in the houses are required to contribute 500 hours of sweat equity by participating in the construction.

“There are a lot of hard working people in our community who can’t afford a conventional mortgage,” said Long Range Planner Lindsey Butterfield. “Paying off $250,000 over 25 or 30 years can be manageable, but once you add down payments and interest, it’s out of reach for a lot of people.”

It was a frosty morning as the City of Spruce Grove volunteers donned work gloves, steel-toed shoes and hard hats and set to work hanging drywall and installing insulation. Many of them usually work at desk jobs, and were excited to have an opportunity to do something different for a day.

“It was physically challenging yet an absolutely enjoyable learning experience,” said Community and Protective Services General Manager Jackie Araujo. “I have a whole new appreciation for the skills and abilities of my colleagues.”

Some of those colleagues had never swung a hammer or driven a screw, but after a quick safety orientation and some basic instruction they found themselves cutting drywall, driving screws and stuffing insulation.

“I wanted to help give a family something so many of us have and take pride in – a home,” said Administrative Assistant Cindy Burton. As a member of the insulating group she said she wanted to make sure she did her job well. “It’s a big part of what a home can bring to a family, and that’s warmth,” she said.

For some, working on a Habitat project was something that they had been considering for a while, and the experience proved to be fulfilling enough that they want to do more.

“I’ve always wanted to do this sort of thing,” said Senior Parks and Open Space Operator Doug Reid. “It was certainly a good opportunity. I think I’ll try and get in some more of these.”

For Human Resources Administrator Terry Jensen, it was a way to give back. “It gives one a sense of community and helping the less fortunate,” she said. “It was also a team-building experience for our organization.  ‘Many hands make light work’ as the saying goes.”

After refuelling with a hot lunch donated by other city staff, the crew got back to work in the afternoon and by the end of the day had completely insulated one house, and finished hanging drywall throughout most of another.

“I was thoroughly amazed at the amount of work that was completed by our crew,” said Reid. “At the end of the day, I realized that I have some muscles that I haven’t used for a while.”

Burton agreed. “I have new respect for people in the construction business for the environment they work in and the job they do,” she added.

Araujo summed it up by noting the impact the staff’s contribution will have on them and their community. “It is extremely rewarding to know that our individual and collective efforts on just one day will truly make a difference in the lives of six families within our community,” she said.

Volunteers are still needed for the Spruce Grove Habitat For Humanity project. You can sign up by calling 780-479-3566 or find out more at www.hfh.org.