CAMPGROUND RELOCATION - Council is split on this issue. We have two proposals in hand. One for the area east of the Tawatinaw along the riverfront. The other for the area south of Hwy 55 into the Tawatinaw Valley, entering the river valley just east of the new S.S. Athabasca carwash along the west side of the Tawatinaw river.
The community needs to think through the campground location options very carefully. There will be visuals of both options at the public meeting. We expect to hold a meeting in late March.
Option 1 - The riverfront east of the Tawatinaw. While it seems logical and desirable to do as we did in the past, and build the new campground on the riverfront, the proposed site directly east of the Tawatinaw is quite different than the previous Landing site. It is not a clear flat riverbank, but a heavily treed nature area.
Moving the campground there would massively disturb an intact forested area, and also impact the Bissel Conservation lands further along the river bend towards the bridge. The forest along that river bend is lovely mixedwood. In mass and form it made the old campground feel protected and provided a wonderful vista for all visitors. The campground proposal is for excavation of various sites into the trees, and a tiered campsite to provide pull-ins for fifth wheeles and campers. But the terrain is so uneven, earthwork will be required as the proposal assumes different elevations for the rows of campsites. Cutting out large campsites means that the remaining poplar trees will probably blow down more easily.
The campground proposed for east of Tawatinaw will be much closer to the highway traffic turning north to Calling Lake, even closer than the old campground had been. A new road will branch off of Hwy 55 at the Tawatinaw Bridge and run north between the campground and Hwy 55 on an angle over to the UFA Bulk Fuels entrance. This will bring truck and car traffic closer to campers.
I know that many people want to be nearer to the river. Closer to nature. But it doesnt make sense to me to destroy nature, in the name of allowing people to get closer to nature. Instead we could go with Option B below and still bring people over to the riverfront as a day park area, and even make a pedestrian bridge across the Tawatinaw and extend the Rotary trail east alongside these woods. That way people could appreciate the special remaining bit of treed riverfront, enjoy the river front all day long, and return to a nice quiet campsite across the street at night. See Option B.
Option B - In contrast, the proposed Tawatinaw Valley campground would bring people up into that river valley (which is quite beautiful and quiet). The sites are easier to build andd would not disturb many trees (the site has been disturbed decades ago as a lumber yard). The forest cover is thinner here, and younger, and the terrain is more open and flatter. Campers and fifth wheelrs would have a wonderful vista of forest on three sides).
The campground is designed with a safe pedestrian link under the highway to the riverfront (so people could access the day area, playgrounds, spray park, skateboard park and bike or walking trails). And campers or visitors could also go south into Tawatinaw valley on the Trans Canada Trail (and parts of the Historic Landing Trail). Athabascans I know seldom visit this valley (which is right in Town). It is a treasure. Check it out, and think through the campground options.
Let your Councillors know your preferences. If you have any questions, please email me at mikeg@athabascau.ca
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Council Mtg Highlights 20 February 2007
We had three delegations last night.
1. Landing Trails or TransCanada Trail representative Nadine Hallett asked for council's financial help to pay for the repair of a major sink hole and drainage culvert that caused part of the TransCanada Trail to wash away (and left a deep 10 foot hole). Council referred the money request to budget deliberations in march.
Council is trying to clarify who is responsible for TCT trail maintenance on Town land and whether or not our insurance would cover the trail (so the local group does not have to pay again). Insurance companies have taken advantage of the post-911 context to put the screws to every little group and make it harder and harder for Municipal Council's to offer them insurance coverage for events or projects.
2. Family and Community Support Services has asked for about a 100 percent increase in the Municipal portion of financial support for their operations. We referred this to budget, but there is good support for the change.
My concern was not with the level of FCSS service, but with the downloading of provincial responsibilities to fund human services to the local taxpayer and Municipality. Town Council has only property taxes as a vehicle to find money to pay for such human service programs. The Province has much larger taxing powers - through land leases and resource rents, income taxes, and even sales tax. Why not tax large corporate profits (Encana announced 7 billion in profit this week) or wealthy Albertans (go back to a progresive provincial tax instead of a 10 percent flat tax- why should a Grama on a modest pension pay the same provincial tax rate as a millionaire with stock options). With the money generated the Province could pay for preventative social programs like those offered by FCSS (in all regions- Athabasca is one of the few FCSS regions of the Province that offers good services). Why shift the tax burden for human services onto municipalities and homeowners and their property tax?
Also I suggested that Town and County Council write the Alberta Government and ask them to increase their support for Athabasca FCSS by 100 percent next year, just like the taxpayers of Athabasca region will do.
3. AB Infrastructure gave us an update on the bridge over the Tawatinaw and proposed intersection. The drawings are 80 percent complete, 90 percent by April. Before completing their plans, they want Council to hold a public meeting and make a decision on the future location of the campground (in the bush directly east of the Tawatinaw river or south of Hwy 55 alongside the Tawatinaw river in the valley. Once we decide on a site they can fine tune their drawings and Infrastructure will then hold a meeting on the intersection.
We agreed to hold our campground public meeting and get community feedback on the preferred location. Lets face it,however, this way AB Infrastructure lets Councillors take the heat for a controversial intersection plan which will destroy the east end of the riverfront, remove the campground, and channel the Tawatinaw based on their enginnering plans for a new intersection.
1. Landing Trails or TransCanada Trail representative Nadine Hallett asked for council's financial help to pay for the repair of a major sink hole and drainage culvert that caused part of the TransCanada Trail to wash away (and left a deep 10 foot hole). Council referred the money request to budget deliberations in march.
Council is trying to clarify who is responsible for TCT trail maintenance on Town land and whether or not our insurance would cover the trail (so the local group does not have to pay again). Insurance companies have taken advantage of the post-911 context to put the screws to every little group and make it harder and harder for Municipal Council's to offer them insurance coverage for events or projects.
2. Family and Community Support Services has asked for about a 100 percent increase in the Municipal portion of financial support for their operations. We referred this to budget, but there is good support for the change.
My concern was not with the level of FCSS service, but with the downloading of provincial responsibilities to fund human services to the local taxpayer and Municipality. Town Council has only property taxes as a vehicle to find money to pay for such human service programs. The Province has much larger taxing powers - through land leases and resource rents, income taxes, and even sales tax. Why not tax large corporate profits (Encana announced 7 billion in profit this week) or wealthy Albertans (go back to a progresive provincial tax instead of a 10 percent flat tax- why should a Grama on a modest pension pay the same provincial tax rate as a millionaire with stock options). With the money generated the Province could pay for preventative social programs like those offered by FCSS (in all regions- Athabasca is one of the few FCSS regions of the Province that offers good services). Why shift the tax burden for human services onto municipalities and homeowners and their property tax?
Also I suggested that Town and County Council write the Alberta Government and ask them to increase their support for Athabasca FCSS by 100 percent next year, just like the taxpayers of Athabasca region will do.
3. AB Infrastructure gave us an update on the bridge over the Tawatinaw and proposed intersection. The drawings are 80 percent complete, 90 percent by April. Before completing their plans, they want Council to hold a public meeting and make a decision on the future location of the campground (in the bush directly east of the Tawatinaw river or south of Hwy 55 alongside the Tawatinaw river in the valley. Once we decide on a site they can fine tune their drawings and Infrastructure will then hold a meeting on the intersection.
We agreed to hold our campground public meeting and get community feedback on the preferred location. Lets face it,however, this way AB Infrastructure lets Councillors take the heat for a controversial intersection plan which will destroy the east end of the riverfront, remove the campground, and channel the Tawatinaw based on their enginnering plans for a new intersection.
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