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All updates will be posted to our Facebook , Twitter and our website.
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The Town of High River is offering a Tax Relief Program for property owners
Click here for more details
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GEORGE LANE PARK CAMPGROUND BOOKINGS
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Please note: If you have pre-booked an overnight camping spot in George Lane Park for the 2014 season, please contact the Lions Club at 403.652.5583.
Contact information for bookings was lost as a result of the June 2013 flood.
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The Town of High River needs experienced professionals to join our team as our community continues to grow and renew.
From financial and engineering experts to
community outreach and recreation
professionals, we have the career that is right for you. Current positions include: To view job openings, or for
information, visit the Town of High River careers page |
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You can now pick up a copy of the High River Town Crier at the following locations:
- Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex
- Library (Sprung Structure)
- No Frills
- Sobeys
- Coop
- Shoppers Drug Mart
- Charles Clark Medical Centre
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Town lowering flags on
Mar. 12 to honour soldiers leaving Afghanistan
The Town of High River will join municipalities and schools across the province in honouring Canadian soldiers' efforts in Afghanistan by lowering flags on Wednesday, Mar. 12. The ceremony will commemorate the lowering of the Canadian flag in Kabul and mark the end of Canada's 12-year military mission to Afghanistan.
The Town will start the day by lowering all flags at the Town Administration Office to half-mast. At noon, flags will be raised to full height to commemorate the end of the Afghanistan mission and the successful return of the last Canadian troops.
The Government of Canada will be hosting a video stream of the flag ceremony in Kabul on its website.
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Deadline to submit damaged door claims to RCMP is June 30, 2014
The deadline to submit invoices and expense claims to the RCMP for damage caused to doors and entry-way windows during the June 2013 flood is June 30, 2014.
Residents seeking compensation are asked to submit invoices and expense claims to the RCMP before June 30, 2014 in one of the following ways:
- Mail or in-person to the High River RCMP Detachment:
1104 14 Street S.E.
High River, AB T1V 1W2
- Email: High_river@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Please include your claim number and any photos of the damage/repairs as well.
If residents are financially unable to complete repairs to their doors, the RCMP can authorize advanced payment to a contractor to do the repair.
More than 1,100 invoices have already been processed and paid. In some cases open claims have not yet been paid as property owners still need to submit invoices to the RCMP or complete the necessary repairs.
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COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS
Feb. 24, 2014
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DELEGATIONS
Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan Consultants: Douglas Olsen of O2 Planning and Design was in attendance to formally introduce his firm to Mayor and Council. Olsen expressed his firm's enthusiasm and gratitude for being awarded the contract to prepare the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan, and is eager to get the project underway.
Resident Request for Refund: Shirley Crawford was in attendance to request a refund with respect to her application for a Land Use Bylaw amendment for her property located at 108 7 Avenue S.E. Council postponed this decision, requesting further information from administration.
Stories of the High River Flood: The collaborators of the legacy book "Stories of the High River Flood" were in attendance to talk about their progress to date and to thank Council for their letter of support, which will help secure grant funding for the project.
High River & District Chamber of Commerce: Monty Stafford and Lynette McCracken, representative of the Chamber of Commerce were in attendance to update Council on the Chamber of Commerce's new mandate and how they will be operating on a go forward basis.
NEW BUSINESS
May Declared Flood Awareness Month: Council declared that annually May will be Flood Awareness Month in the Town of High River.
2013 Property Tax Forgiveness - Flood Batch #2: Council approved forgiveness of the 2013 property taxes for the properties listed on Property Tax Relief - Batch #2 in the amount of $161,631.38 in accordance with Section 3471)(b) of the Municipal Government Act.
Community Donations Advisory Committee - First Round Grant Recommendations: Council approved the Committee's recommendation for dispersal of $435,000 of grants from the Town of High River Disaster Relief Fund. View the complete list at www.highriver.ca.
Economic Development Plan RFP Award Recommendations: Council approved administration's recommendation to award the contract to Twist Marketing to build the Economic Development Plan.
Temporary Business Park Lease Rate Increase: Council directed administration to determine the intentions and plans, of each business within the temporary business park, for their relocation to a permanent facility within the Town of High River.
POL-06-102-00 - Facility Sponsorship: Council approved the policy which will ensure consistency within the agreements/contracts that are derived from sponsorships. The policy provides guidelines in determining appropriateness of sponsorships and ensures adherence to all Town regulations and bylaws. The Policy includes communities, parks, roadways, bridges and buildings.
Council meeting schedule, agendas and minutes can be found online at
www.highriver.ca under the Town Hall menu. |
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Dredging versus scalping - Part 1
Many residents have asked questions about why the Town has scalped areas of the river versus dredging. The short answer is that scalping is an environmentally low-impact dredging technique that in the end has the same effect as dredging.
Since the June 2013 flood, approximately 60,000 cubic metres of material has been removed from the Highwood River channel in High River. Once water levels increase over the scalped area, the river will naturally redistribute the sediment within the channel.
Scalping has been successfully applied in western Canada on a number of rivers including Kicking Horse River at Golden, BC and Fraser River at Vancouver, BC. Scalping is used to manage in-channel buildup of silt and gravel (technically referred to as aggradation), with minimal environmental impact.
Both scalping and dredging typically have only local impacts and as flows in the river increase, the benefits diminish. Because of the short span of the existing Centre Street bridge, aggradation is very prominent in the vicinity of the bridge, which is why benefits from scalping are greater here. Once river flows are high enough that the river overtops its banks, the cross sectional area of the flood way is much larger than when the river is within its banks. This area is so much larger, that under a flooding condition, the improvements from dredging would not be measurable.
The reason the Town is using bar scalping is to help low to medium flows pass under the Centre Street bridge, which adds to the overall flood mitigation efforts.
Part two of this article will further explain the impact of scalping on flood plains. For more information, please visit the flood renewal and resources page of our website. |
Town commits to annual parades
The Town of High River has made a commitment to ensure the community's two annual parades will continue to be part of High River's cultural events.
The Chamber of Commerce has been organizing both parades for more than 20 years with Executive Director Lynette McCracken holding the reins of the Little Britches parade for 18 of those years and Ted Dawson holding the position as chair for the Santa Claus Parade for 20 years.
"The Chamber has provided an outstanding service to our town in planning these events and we are very grateful for their work over the years," said Mayor Craig Snodgrass. "Council understands that right now the Chamber needs to focus all their energies on supporting and advocating for our business community so the Town is stepping in to make sure the parades continue."
Organizing the annual parades requires a large time commitment and, since the flood, the Chamber has identified the need to return to its original mandate of advocating with different levels of government on behalf of local businesses. While the Chamber must step away from planning the parades, both members and the Town agree that these events are an essential part of the social fabric of the community and must continue.
Town representatives have already met with Chamber members to discuss the requirements for the Little Britches Parade and are moving forward with plans for it to be held at its usual date in May.
"Right now we are going ahead with sending letters of invitation for participants in the Little Britches Parade," said Dayna Dickens, business and tourism development coordinator. "Our first priority is to make sure this parade goes ahead as scheduled and then we will be looking for partners in the community to establish a long-term strategy for organizing both the Little Britches and Santa Claus Parades."
The Town is currently looking for individuals, service groups or organizations to sit on the organizing committee and/or volunteer to help with activities during the day of the event. If you or your organization is interested in participating in either of these important events, please contact Dayna Dickens at 403.603.3536.
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Re-opening of High River municipal offices delayed
Employees for the Town of High River will have to wait a little longer to return to their offices after workers discovered frozen pipes at the municipal building. Staff had been looking forward to returning to their office on March 3 after working out of temporary trailers for the past 10 months. However, the extreme weather has caused pipes in the building's sprinkler system to freeze.
Staff will have to remain in their temporary location at 1400, 10 Street S.E. a little longer until the water in the pipes can be thawed and leaks repaired. Crews are already working on the problem but the forecasted cold temperatures for the upcoming week will delay their efforts.
The municipal building, which was seriously impacted by the June flood, has been undergoing reconstruction and remediation. The upper level had been scheduled to re-open on Monday while offices on the lower level are still under construction.
Council's Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday has been moved to the Culture Centre on 9 Avenue. The location for the next council meeting on March 10 is still unconfirmed, dependent on the status of repairs at the Town Office. Updates will be provided as this information is available.
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High River's Downtown Area Redevelopment
Plan now a work in progress
Submitted by O2 Planning + Design Inc.
It's time to start building a bright future for High River's downtown core. With the recent appointment of O2 Planning + Design Inc., work has begun on the Downtown High River Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP). From now until November, the O2 team will be working closely with the Town of High River, area businesses, community groups and citizens to develop a strategy that will position the downtown for a bright future.
"Being selected to lead the ARP process is an honour," says Douglas Olson, President from O2. "This is a project that we take personally - many of our team members have strong connections to High River, living here themselves or having friends and family members who were affected by the flood. The opportunity to be part of helping rebuild such a resilient and inspiring community means a great deal to our team."
A key goal of the Downtown ARP process is involving the community in helping shape plans for the future. The visioning process will see the O2 team attending many community events, meetings and activities, and hosting workshops and open houses as part of an overall engagement process that will stretch over several months.
The project will include many convenient opportunities for residents to become involved in the process and to have their say.
Overall, the ARP will address issues including urban design, culture, mobility and land use in the downtown core. With a combination of policies and implementation strategies, the ARP will guide public and private investment for the next 30 years.
Look for further updates on the Downtown ARP process in future editions of the Town Crier, on the Downtown ARP page on the Town of High River website, and on the project blog (coming soon).
For more information please contact:
Khalid Mohammed
Manager of Planning and
Development Services
Town of High River
403-603-3408
kmohammed@highriver.ca
You can also visit Downtown ARP project page on www.highriver.ca
under the Public Forums menu.
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