Quandary to road ownership
Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor
Representatives from the Village of Standard spoke to Council about the transfer of road ownership of a portion of west end road along TNSP 251a, out by the Standard transfer station. The portion of the road falls on land previously owned by the CPR.
Standard had recently purchased the property and found a portion of the road and the right away is County owned and maintained. The town has purchasers interested in the property surrounding the road and they wanted the title details cleaned up prior to its sale.
County planning staff indicated the property would have to have a road plan and survey done.
“If this goes through, who would pay for the road plan and survey?” said Councillor Ben Armstrong. “If the County pays for it, Standard would get the money for it in the land sale.”
County planning staff indicated developers usually pay survey costs, which they indicated would be about $10,000.
“We don’t really want the property,” said Alan Larsen, Mayor of Standard.
“We would be selling the property for cost.”
Councillors indicated there would be other complications with the property.
Even if a portion of the road is on private land, the road is indicated as a county road. Legally it is accepted as a public road and used by the public. So measures to close the road would be needed.
“If there is an existing roadway in place, you would never get permission from the province,” said Councillor Ben Armstrong, who indicated the road portion would have to be closed.
Once closed, a request is sent to the Alberta Ministry of Transportation for approval and signoff. The process then needed is a County bylaw and Public Hearing process. There were also some other small land parcels involved that would affect adjacent landowners. County policy is to offer the property to the adjacent owners first.
It was questioned whether it would be easier if the land was annexed by Standard.
The Standard representatives said that they would approach the prospective buyers, unsure that they would still be interested in the property, if they have to pay the $10,000 survey fee.
If the answer was in the affimative, Wheatland Councillors voted to work with the village to allow them to take over the property with Standard assuming all the costs.