Local briefs - July 24

Blackfalds begins planning field house

Planning for a new recreation centre is underway in the Town of Blackfalds.

Citizens and business operators were invited on Thursday to offer their suggestions for a new field house to be erected on a former Southwick tree farm at the end of Womacks Road in the northwest corner of town.

The 12-acre parcel had come up for sale at a time when the town had not yet secured a site for its new RCMP detachment, Mayor Melodie Stohl said on Friday.

“We weren’t quite sure where we were going to put our RCMP station at the time, so we brought this piece of land just in case we couldn’t make an agreement on the piece that we actually have the RCMP station on,” said Stohl.

Construction of the RCMP building is now underway at the site of a former chicken farm on the town’s southwest side, leaving officials to weigh their options for the remaining site, said Stohl.

The Southwick site is large enough to accommodate a field house and parking with plenty of room for more growth in the future.

A second phase could include construction of an aquatic centre, said Stohl. Blackfalds is not big enough at this point to build its own pool, but the Southwick site would provide an ideal location once the town is able to support such a project, she said.

Creation of a field house, including an indoor gymnasium and playground, was among the ideas brought forward in a community needs assessment performed with the help of Edmonton-based consultants RC Strategies in 2008.

The town has brought RC Strategies consultant Mike Roma back to help lay plans for the field house, said Stohl.

At this, point, plans are preliminary in nature with clear goals still to be set, she said.

Cemeteries may change to reflect religious diversity

Two City of Red Deer cemeteries may be modified to accommodate a broader range of religions and cultures.

Red Deer Cemetery and Alto Reste Cemetery have traditionally focused on the wishes of various Christian denominations since this has been the predominant religion in the community. A staff report going to city council on Monday says that in recent years, cultural and religious diversity have grown in the region.

Parks superintendent Trevor Poth said the city has received a “significant number of requests” for different ways of doing a burial.

“Some religions such as the Catholic and Chinese communities would like to have areas specific to their culture,” said Poth.

The city may also consider how it will design cemetery plots in the future. According to Poth’s report, the standard burial pattern of plots for Christian and Catholic faiths is on an east-west axis, based on the sunrise and sunset. In other religions, plots are set out on a north-south axis.

As well, the city may consider offering more options for burial service.

Some religions and cultures call for families to physically carry the body to its resting place, as opposed to lowering the casket in place, Poth said.

A cultural shift has also occurred, where cremations have become more popular than burials.

“This change in use has a significant impact on site planning and operations for the cemetery,” Poth said.

The Red Deer Cemetery no longer has traditional plots for sale, only columbarium units for cremated remains and in-ground cremation lots. The Alto Reste Cemetery is about 65 per cent sold, with seven of eight gardens close to being sold out.

“Parks staff are excited about the opportunity to better accommodate different religions and cultural groups within the community in the future at Alto Reste Cemetery,” said Poth.

A new operations and administration building was constructed at Alto Reste in 2009, and due to favourable construction costs, it was built at a savings of $250,000. Its original budget was just over $1 million.

City council will be asked to allocate $50,000 from the Alto Reste building project towards an Alto Reste Cemetery Multiculturalism Inclusion and Site Development Plan. Council will also be asked to approve putting the remaining $200,000 in savings back into the capital projects reserve.

ltester@reddeeradvocate.com

Taxi assault charge plea reserved

A 19-year-old man charged with assaulting a Red Deer taxi driver returns to court on Thursday after reserving his plea on Friday.

Ryan John Monias, 19, was remanded in custody when he appeared in Red Deer provincial court on charges of assault, possession of a controlled substance and three counts of uttering threats.

The Alberta Gold cab driver said earlier she feared for her life after being punched several times by a customer who was high on some kind of substance on July 9 in Sylvan Lake.

When the passenger was told he had to pay up front for the long-distance ride into Red Deer, he started arguing with her after driving only a few blocks.

The driver prepared to let him out at the traffic roundabout at Hwys 20 and 11A when he turned on her.

This is the third time in three months that a Red Deer cabbie has been assaulted by a customer.

No arrests have yet been made in connection with the other incidents.

Health council to meet in Olds

David Thompson Health Advisory Council wants to hold its next public meeting in Olds.

Alberta Health Services spokesperson Vicki Giacobbo said a venue for the Sept. 23 meeting must still be found for Central Alberta’s health advisory council.

David Thompson Health Advisory Council covers almost the same boundaries as the former health region, with a few more communities added from the east central area.

Twelve advisory health councils to represent different regions of the province were announced last year to advise Alberta Health Services Board and give the public the opportunity to provide input.

Councils have until September to determine how they will operate and gather input.

The deadline for applications to fill three empty positions on the 15-member council has passed.

Pine Lake man remains in custody

A Pine Lake man was detained in custody Friday on numerous charges of possession of weapons following a recent RCMP bust.

Stanley Dick, 26, lost a bail bid in provincial court and returns to court on July 30 to enter a plea.

He is charged with four counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, three counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, four counts of possession of a firearm while prohibited, possession of a prohibited firearm and possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition.

Red Deer City RCMP seized a defensive baton, machete, baseball bat modified with screws sticking out, sawed-off shotgun and ammunition after searching a vehicle on July 8. Police said they searched the vehicle because they believed they saw a man remove a firearm from it.

Further investigation resulted in the RCMP street team, Red Deer City RCMP general investigation section and Innisfail RCMP execute a search warrant on a residence in Pine Lake, seizing two .22 calibre rifles, ammunition and firearm parts.

Emergency calls only on 911

Police want to dispel the 77 emergency number myth that has resurfaced in Central Alberta.

The urban myth circulating by the Internet is about a college student who is stopped by a fake unmarked police car driven by a rapist. The student calls *77 or #77 on her cellphone to contact the local police. Lacombe Police Service warn that *77 or #77 are not emergency numbers from either a cellphone or a landline.

If a citizen needs to report an emergency or crime, 911 is the only number that will put the caller in direct contact with emergency services.

If a driver finds themselves being pulled over by police and is unsure whether a police vehicle is operated by an officer, the driver can let the officer know they are aware of the police car by slowing down, activating their hazard lights, and either proceeding to a safe location if close by or calling 911 to confirm it is a police officer.

Corn Maze opens

The Lacombe Corn Maze opened its doors on Friday for another season of wandering the maze, firing corn cannons and pumpkin blasters, pig races and a variety of children’s activities. New this year are an 18-hole minigolf course, corner store and panning for gems in a sluice. The maze is cut this year in the shape of the Ronald McDonald House logo since that’s the charity the Kraay family will be supporting with $1 from each admission on the next three long weekends. Located just west of Lacombe and south of Hwy 12, the maze is open Mondays through Saturdays (closed Sundays) 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. through the Thanksgiving weekend with admission $12 for adults, $10 for seniors over 65 and children three and up with a family pass for $25.