Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council
Committee of the Whole Meeting
Monday, March 13, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting and made some opening announcements.
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Julia Fielding of Travel Drumheller and Joe Naaman of twenty-31 presented a destination development plan which lays out a detailed long-term approach to support development of the community as a tourism destination.
It was noted Drumheller has three standout opportunities for the community, some of which it is already capitalizing on-dinosaurs, arts and culture, and the unique landscape.
Some challenges and opportunities were identified during the project, which were broken down into short term and longer term. It was noted there were some longer term or systemic challenges, including negative resident sentiment towards tourism and under utilized year-round tourism assets and accommodations; there were also some short term and medium to longer term opportunities, including tourism leadership and advocacy, and identifying and supporting visitor and community amenities.
The plan identifies some “quick wins,” but also identifies a number of investment opportunities for potential longer-term investments such as Horseshoe Canyon tourism infrastructure, Downtown Area Revitalization Plan (DARP), and the Rails to Trails project.
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Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce (DDCC) Executive director Heather Bitz and President Deana Hannem provided an update.
There were 245 members at the end of 2022, which includes 25 new Chamber members. This is up slightly from 243 members in 2021.
It was noted the Chamber has partnered with the Town of Drumheller and Community Futures to offer the Building Enhancement Grant program once again. This program has been offered since 2021 and in 2022 a total of 12 business projects were supported with $37,000 in funds distributed. For the 2023 program there is a total of $40,000 in partner funding; there were a total of 31 applications received and the program will support 13 projects.
The World’s Largest Dinosaur had a busy year in 2022 with a total of 141,199 people making the climb to the viewpoint. The five-year average saw an average of 108,068 people per year attend, and it was noted future maintenance is planned to be funded through the legacy fund and Capital Repair fund.
DDCC also began offering Drumheller Valley branded merchandise along with Worlds Largest Dinosaur branded items from Roots Canada.
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Drumheller Valley Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) provided an update on the various aspects of the Community Development and Social Planning (CDSP) department.
CDSP manager April Harrison provided an overview of the role of FCSS and its current local programs, which have been selected based on local needs. She explained the department is currently in the process of developing a Community and Social Needs Assessment, which has included undertaking a community survey and engagements. It is anticipated a final report will be presented to council in May.
Community Development coordinator Heather Carlson provided an update on the various community developments undertaken in 2022.
Ending Working Poverty project coordinator Scott Gamble presented an update on the project. The goal of the program is to get to a five per cent poverty reduction. He explained this is a collective impact which will involve the community and not one single organization or entity. This has included looking at some niche initiatives such as identifying the living wage and combating food insecurity in the community through a $50,000 grant from Food Banks Canada which will help support a grocery gift card program.
Seniors Program coordinator Karen Schneck provided an update on the program. Since taking over the position in April 2022 the program has offered scheduled and walk-in one-on-one appointments, and offered various programs such as a computer tech program to help those 55+ better understand technology. There have been some challenges with the Volunteer Tax Program as fewer volunteers have been participating in the program.
Ms. Harrison presented an update on the Youth Program. A total of 297 youth participated in the 15 programs offered, which included the Land Before Tech Time which encouraged youth to disengage from technology, and the Winter Dance which was the first community youth dance.
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Council adjourned to a closed session.

Complete minutes from council meetings can be found on www.drumheller.ca once they have been adopted.

Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council
Regular Council Meeting
Monday, March 6, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting, and council made some opening remarks and announcements.
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Rails to Trails fundraising taskforce Chair Jason Blanke and Secretary Lana Philips presented council with a request to extend the taskforce term until May 31 to allow them to continue fundraising and acting in an advisory capacity on the project.
The taskforce has successfully raised some $282,000 to help support amenities for the CN Rails to Trails pathway system, which will see the conversion of former CN Rail right-of-ways into an active transportation network. The taskforce has also secured sponsorship of three of five stations along the trail, the Main Station, and the Midland Bridge.
Council unanimously approved the extension of the Rails to Trails fundraising taskforce term.
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Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Darryl Drohomerski presented council with a revision to a road closure bylaw for East Coulee and recommended setting a public hearing for April 3.
Council repealed first reading of the initial road closure bylaw and gave first reading of the amended road closure bylaw.
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CAO Drohomerski presented council with a resolution for expropriation for lands on the south side of the Star Mine Suspension Bridge in Rosedale; these lands are privately owned and it was noted the landowner has, so far, only been willing to negotiate a lease agreement.
This item previously came before council in October 2022; however, the original resolution is now four months old and could take an additional four months once submitted to Land Titles. It was recommended council approve a new resolution approving expropriation to avoid further delays.
Council approved the new resolution for expropriation.
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Town of Drumheller Development Officer Antonia Knight presented council with third reading of the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB).
The amendments will align the documents to the current flood mitigation program, including reducing the top width of berms from six metres to 4.5 metres, freeboard from 0.75 metres to 0.5 metres, and increase the design rate of flow designated by the Alberta government from 1,640 cubic metres per second (cm/s) to 1,850 cm/s.
The LUB also addresses amendments regarding bylaw changes to the Tourism Corridor, Employment, and Downtown Area districts.
Council gave third reading to the amended both documents.
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Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office (DRFMO) project director Deighen Blakely presented council with an update on the flood mitigation project.
One-on-one landowner consultations have been completed for all projects which were scheduled in 2022. The East Coulee berm is currently out for tender, and it is anticipated the Downtown berm will be posted for tender later this month.
Currently 22 of 27 properties in floodway areas which were targeted for buyouts in Nacmine, Rosedale and Lehigh have been acquired, with five properties remaining in Lehigh.
Tree clearing will begin later in the week to allow for construction of berms over the summer, and it is anticipated wood chips and firewood will be made available to the public once this work is completed. Construction work on East Coulee, North Drumheller, and Downtown Drumheller will resume once the ground thaws.
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Ms. Blakely also presented council with an overview of the alternate alignment for East Coulee, which was previously noted by CAO Drohomerski. Based on discussions with landowners, public consultation, and cost reviews it was recommended to amend the alignment, which will result in an estimated savings of $175,000.
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Capital Project manager Kelcie Wilson presented council with a briefing note on the CN Rail to pedestrian bridge conversion for the Midland Bridge.
Part of the work involved requires the bridge to be inspected and registered with the province; all bridges, including culverts over five feet, must be registered with the province and have a Bridge File number. However, railway bridges are exempt, and the conversion of the Midland Bridge and other former CN Rail bridges will need to undergo in-depth and rigorous inspection before work to convert them to pedestrian bridges can be carried out.
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Council adjourned to a closed session.

Complete minutes from council meetings can be found on www.drumheller.ca once they have been adopted.