Hutterite cemetery accepted by Wheatland County council

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

A public hearing for a 1.2-acre cemetery at the Midwest Hutterite Colony led to a positive decision in third reading from Wheatland County council on Dec. 18, 2018.
Council discussed the differences of cemeteries on private land versus land owned by colonies. There were some concerns about the move away from typical Municipal Development Plan guidelines.
“It’s kind of a grey area; we are trying to accommodate and recognize that Midwest has a community in its own right, and still have these amenities available to their families and community members who live there. So the biggest difference is how we define a community,” said Odessa Cohen, junior planner with Wheatland County.
Councillor Jason Wilson asked whether residents could also ask for a private cemetery. Staff stated they could apply, but it would be evaluated as to appropriate use and needs approval from council. Councillor Tom Ikert questioned what happens if the property was sold or abandoned. Staff said they assumed that the county would purchase the cemetery site, or assume responsibility for the cemetery and develop it into a community cemetery. Staff did say that any village could apply for a community cemetery, through county guidelines.

Fireworks storage near Standard
First reading was passed for a 24.1-acre Agricultural General re-designation to Intensive Industrial near Standard. The bylaw concerns a fireworks storage proposal.
The applicant will be storing 1.3G and 1.4G fireworks. The 1.3G fireworks are used in professional displays and 1.4G are consumer-grade fireworks. The site will house about 20 sea cans, a pickup site and service building. Staff noted that it is more remote than their current location; however, it is on cultivated land and not within a current industrial designated zone. Applicants stated that they will not be subdividing the parcel and they will continue to farm the rest of the unused property.
Alberta Health Services provided comments, recommending that any development that has the potential to adversely impact surrounding residential receptors (e.g. noise, odours, emissions, etc.) should be carefully evaluated when in close proximity to residential or sensitive land use, and that appropriate setback distances and or buffers should be developed to ensure existing and future residential receptors are adequately protected.
The applicants stated they have approval from adjacent landowners and they must meet federal guidelines concerning setbacks from explosive sites. County staff said the current plan adheres to federal setback parameters.
A public hearing will be held Feb. 5.

County housekeeping may affect RV storage business
An existing RV storage business and residence, located about four kilometres south of the county office is looking to renew its permit that expired on Jan. 10.
While the facility was granted approval under the old land use bylaw as a secondary use business, recent revisions to the land use bylaw means the business doesn’t fit under existing parameters. The current bylaw would place it under RV Storage designation, which falls under Industrial General (IG) discretionary designations, so a discretionary re-designation would be needed.
“At the time, we didn’t have specific permits for RV type storage, otherwise it would be put into Industrial General,” said Odessa Cohen, junior planner with Wheatland County.
Applicants want to subdivide the land used for storage away from the rest of the section, which is currently agricultural use. The property is separated by a water course from the main section of land.
They had approached council in 2012 about dust abatement requirements and the limit on the number of storage units allowed. Additional storage units were allowed and dust abatement requirements remained.
The reason staff recommended refusal was because the re-designation sets a sixth parcel on the quarter, which needs an area structure plan. No plan had been received to date and the property is not currently in an industrial zoned area. The residence would have to be reclassified as an employee dwelling as well in order to remain on the property re-designated as IG.
The business falls within the parameters of land under the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board growth plan, which recommends placing industrial business in specific growth corridors. Staff indicated re-designating the parcel would open up future possibilities to any industrial activity defined in the bylaw.
First reading was approved with a public hearing to be held at a future date.

Valley Bus Society gains support
Valley Bus Society (VBS) requested additional support for its Handi-Bus services to the eastern residents of Wheatland County. The county has supported the society in the past, which helped with the purchase of a new van and buses. Valley Bus Society Manager Barbara Drever indicated that increased servicing, repair costs and insurance are taking a toll on finances.
“I would therefore like to request funding support from Wheatland County on an urgent basis, so we can avoid imposing price increases on seniors and handicapped persons who are living on fixed incomes,” said Drever.
VBS treasurer Bill Wulff stated that they only recover 45 per cent of their costs from the fees charged. VBS had a $4,000 deficit this year.
Councillor Ben Armstrong said the residents in his area use the service and it provides good service. He suggested council consider a $5,000 per year contribution.
Council approved the amount.

Hospice Society support
Deputy Reeve Glenn Koester presented a request for written support for a partnership between Wheatland County Housing Board, Wheatland County, Villages of Hussar, Standard and Rockyford, the Strathmore Lions Club and the Town of Strathmore to improve seniors’ housing for the region. No commitment for funds was asked for at this time, but after investigation of ideas, there may be submissions for funding in the future.
The group will be working with the Wheatland and Area Hospice Society to build a facility that offers affordable housing of seniors and those needing hospice services.
“If we get this it helps out the lodge in securing partnerships and funding moving forward,” said Koester.
He said he spoke with the minister in Edmonton and they are moving away from grant processes and moving to investments in community projects. Koester felt this would give better support and present more options for housing.

Speed concerns
Don Vander Velde approached council about reducing speed on RR 265 leading onto Highway 22X. He said landowners have posted signs asking for caution and he indicated that one dog was killed. He asked for a reduction speed to 60 km per hour.
The road is currently posted at 80 km and police placed a speed counter for a week to assess speeds. County peace officers said the average speeds were less than 80 km, and there were about 25 vehicles per day. Of the 269 counted, 27 were over 80 km per hour, with three travelling at about 100 km per hour. Officers have included the road on their patrols.
Council felt if drivers are currently ignoring posted signs, the reduced speed signs probably would not be a deterrent. There was a suggestion of placing a moveable digital speed monitor device, but staff said they were hesitant to put them in rural areas due to theft possibilities. Staff indicated that they would do another traffic count in the summer and officers would patrol the road on their regular schedules. Officers stated that a parked police car can be a motivator to reduced speed and may skew speed on manually-operated speed and vehicle count checks.