Wastewater woe solution for Muirfield imminent

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

It was standing room only, at Wheatland County council chambers on April 19, as a public hearing outlined resident concerns over a vote on the servicing bylaw 2015-35, revisions to the direct control district guidelines of 2015-39 and the repeal of bylaw 2005-03.
There have been ongoing deliberations for many years, causing residents and Wheatland council to wade through the muddy issues generated by the cancellation of a wastewater contract held with the Lakes of Muirfield community and the County of Rocky View. Currently, Lakes of Muirfield residents have negotiated a contract, in effect until 2017, with the Town of Strathmore to truck their waste to Strathmore treatment facilities.
Staff offered Wheatland council four options for consideration regarding the servicing bylaws:
• Keep the existing servicing requirements
• Change the existing servicing guideline and have staff to report back to council six (6) months from the date of adoption of Bylaw 2015-39 (Direct Control (DC-9) District), as to whether or not the Bylaw should be amended to include regulations pertaining to servicing requirements within specific Development Cells.
• Amend the servicing requirement regulations with application only to parcels owned by 0747744 BC Ltd., as of the date of adoption of this Bylaw.
• Rescind the bylaw
Submitted feedback letters indicated residents didn’t want and couldn’t afford more costly servicing and taxation, objections to any blockade of development, clarification on which developments guidelines applied and encouragement to develop something that would deal with future development issues.
Lakes of Muirfield project manager Jim Souza came to council waving an encouraging letter received from the Town of Strathmore CAO Dwight Stanford that might finally answer the development and servicing problems for the Lakes of Muirfield.
Stanford’s letter said, generally, that Strathmore would be open to the builder connecting to Strathmore utility services from an 18.3 km pipeline that would be run from the Lakes of Muirfield to Strathmore.
“The town (Strathmore) is in favour of becoming a regional treatment center, if residents assume their financial responsibilities,” said Souza. “I want to make sure that all residents are clear that I am hoping council chooses option two. We have not been sitting on our hands; we have been out there going to work. If we look at a one year time frame … by 2017, this should be put to bed.”
“I am looking to all of you for support regarding this pipeline.” said Hassim Harmani, Lakes of Muirfield current owner/developer, as he addressed council. “Over the last three years we have left no stone unturned to come up with a solution to this problem. We will make this happen but we will need your support.”
Harmani said he was not asking for financial considerations from the county for the pipeline, which would cost about eight to 10 million dollars, as he was prepared to arrange financing. Harmani said it would be crucial that council and other stakeholders cooperate throughout the process of getting the pipeline in place and the six-month visitation clause would help everyone put into motion the steps needed to see the project completed.
Previously there were plans to coordinate with Douglas Homes and the Homestead Development, to hook into a pipeline that would direct waste from all the developments to a sewage lagoon situated near Cattleland north of Strathmore. There were some delays in getting that process up and running.
Harmani said he will always work with his neighbours to achieve good results for everyone. However, he said the other developers had to raise significant finances to begin their sewage lagoon and pipeline project. He felt that the residents of Muirfield should not be made to wait on speculation that this process will be funded. He qualified that if the other developers were interested in tapping into the proposed pipeline connected to Strathmore, he would be willing to enter into discussions with them.
Staff indicted that the revisions to the direct control guidelines were needed, as originally the Muirfield area did not include plans for areas like RV storage, servicing buildings, commercial development and semi-detached residences. It was part of a process to make things easier for county residents and developers in the future.
“These revisions will provide more clarity,” said Gerry Melenka, community planner.
Council approved Option 2 giving the bylaws second, third and final reading.
Alice Booth was in opposition to the first reading. She indicated that the six-month grace period didn’t necessarily ensure that good intentions would lead to tangible results.
For more information see: www.wheatlandcounty.ca, under council agenda April 19.